The Riparian - Fall 2020

Riparian The Rivers School | FALL 2020

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Better, Together THE RIVERS FUND 2020–2021

Vol. XXXV

Number 2

Editor

Jane Dornbusch, Senior Assistant Director of Communications

IN THE FINAL YEAR OF FUTUREMAKERS YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER. WE ARE BETTER, TOGETHER.

De s i g n e r

David Gerratt

NonprofitDesign.com Contributing photographers

Katie Harrigan, Tom Kates, Stephen Porter, Adam Richins Contributing writer

Marissa Birne Printer

Signature Printing & Consulting, Brian Maranian ’96 He a d o f Sc h o o l

Edward V. Parsons D i r ec t o r o f A d v a n ce m e n t

Krissie Kelleher D i r ec t o r o f C o m m u n i c a t i o n s

Stephen Porter

The Rivers School 333 Winter Street Weston MA 02493-1040 781-235-9300 www.rivers.org

Riparian: “One that lives or has property on the bank of a river or lake.”

SUPPORT THE RIVERS FUND TODAY www.rivers.org/giving

venmo: @the riversschool

The Riparian is published twice a year for The Rivers School alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends. To conserve resources, Rivers has consolidated multiple mailings addressed to the same household so that your home will receive only one copy.

If you have reason to receive additional copies at your address, please call Jane Dornbusch at 339-686-2230.

Photo: Octopus, by Julia Turissini ’20 On the cover

Futuremakers The Campaign for Rivers

A candlelight vigil in memory of George Floyd was held on campus in June (photo

by Adam Richins)

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From the Head of School

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Fulfilling Our Mission Campus News

14 Making the Future

Philanthropic Impact

at Rivers

Campus Renovations: The Next Phase; Jamil Zaki and the Power of Empathy; Microbiology Puts Students Under the Microscope; and more

Features

16 30 32 Lenny Bautista ’09:

A Renewed Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Postcard from Campus

Alumni Profiles

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Riverside Chat

Five Questions for . . .

John Adams

10 12 Melissa Dolan

Notes from the RSC

Reshaping School Discipline Marissa Goldstein ’03: A Pandemic Pivot John Stimpson ’88: The Art of Persuasion

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The Rivers Coffeehouse

Focus on Faculty

13 Keith Zalaski Takes Up the Red Wing Report

Reins as Athletic Director

24 35 Alumni News and Notes

Reopening in the Time of COVID

From Our Inbox

In Memoriam: Vincent Love ’50

38 Jameson Mannix ’21 Student Voice

28

A Virtual Senior Spring

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Message from the Head of School

Fulfilling Our Mission

By Edward V. Parsons P’17

Last spring was an obvious watershed moment for the nation—and the world—when the gruesome video of George Floyd’s death shocked and awakened many Americans to a reality that exists in our midst. It’s not a new reality, of course; this reality has played out publicly many times before, on more occasions than we care to remember. At protests over the past several months, the names were incanted like a mantra or a prayer: Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people whose lives were brutally cut short. So, why now does it seem to have sparked our outrage and encouraged our collective action?

The answer to this question in the larger arena—that of the nation and the world—is a subject for another writing. But for Rivers, the question “Why now?” is answered by our mission and the duality of its challenge to “prepare our graduates for lead- ership in a world that needs their talents, imagination, intellect, and compassion.”

Significantly, the call in our mission is twofold: To prepare students for leadership, and to serve a world in need. Though that need has always existed, George Floyd’s death, among too many others, threw into stark relief the systems within our own organization that lead to injustices, disrupt lives, and interrupt the kind of opportunity we seek for all of our 2

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students. Our students and alumni saw this, and they pushed us to address systemic inequities in our school culture.

In particular, the Black@Rivers Instagram account laid bare for us some of the painful realities our students of color confront regularly here. It said, forcefully and unequivocally, “Enough.” In concert with the Black@ Rivers page, a letter sent to the administration by alumni, signed by more than 500 people, made it clear that for all our commitment to an equitable environment, we were falling short of the promise inherent in our mission statement.

At Rivers, we’ve been immersed in the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion for many years. But it is clear that the time to ask harder questions and seek more meaningful answers— to become steeped in that work in even deeper ways, with long-range goals and short-term changes that will impact school culture forever—is now. These longstanding challenges must now be our highest priority, and we cannot plead ignorance or good intentions. At this summer’s graduation, I asked our newest alumni a simple question: “What will you do with what you know?” As an institution committed to equity, we have to ask ourselves the same. And the question needs to be answered.

To be clear, Rivers’s dedication to the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion has not changed in its

fundamentals. Well before my arrival here seven years ago, Rivers was demonstrating a commitment to a just and equitable experience for our students and faculty. But we’ve refocused our work and prioritized the many facets of it, from curriculum design to admissions to internal systems. And we have brought all of that work to bear on the urgent issue at hand: the issue of equity of experience for all of our students.

We have developed a path forward, building off the new structures in place for DEI work across campus, and have set about developing a timeline for the completion of projects, strategies, and programs. We answered the challenges set forth in the alumni letter. By year’s end, we will have much of the work we promised either completed or in process, as well as a clear schedule for completion—although, by its very nature, the work is never completed but rather is ongoing, dynamic, and evolving. Please see our story on page 16 for more details on our DEI work.

We cannot claim to serve our dual mission—either for our students or the world into which we send them— if the experience here is one of inequity or if students’ comfort level is compromised by the reality of their daily experiences. And we will not sit still as long as we have work to do to reach our goal—a goal we’re committed to not just for now, but forever. Our mission requires nothing less.

These renderings show a renovated art room in Haynes (left) and a classroom in upper Haffenreffer

LOWER LEVEL ART ROOM

New Round of Campus Improvements Moves Ahead

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reat schools don’t stand still. Head of School Ned Parsons has made the point many times, and by this reckoning, Rivers is great indeed. Now that The Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts is complete, the new athletics fields and the pavilion and patio are open, and the boardwalk over the wetlands is in place, the school’s attention has shifted to the next phase of updates to improve our students’ experience.

The vision calls for the Prince, Carlin, Haynes, and Allen/ Lewis buildings, in addition to the classroom spaces in Haffenreffer, to be extensively renovated and reconfigured, turning them into fully refurbished and reimagined teaching, learning, and community spaces. The results will enhance Rivers’s Middle and Upper School programs, making them more conducive to 21st century academic needs, more reflective of the school’s interdisciplinary program, and better suited to collaboration and community-building.

The renovations, already underway, will unfold in several stages. Over this past summer, two classrooms on the lower level of Haynes were refreshed, with a brighter, cleaner look featuring new windows, new projectors, white boards, furniture, and finishes that match those in The Revers Center. The space, currently being used for Middle School humanities, will be shifted to Middle School art rooms, with the necessary new equipment and fixtures, for the 2021 school year. The COVID crisis also necessitated the creation of a new health center in Haynes.

Next up will be renovations to Prince, as well as to lower Carlin, scheduled for summer 2021. The reconfigured Prince building will house three classrooms, two of which will increase in size by 50 percent, with breakout spaces to allow greater instructional flexibility. Exterior windows will be replaced, using high-performance glass that admits plenty of daylight but improves insulation. A new gathering space gives students and teachers a place to convene and collaborate.

Throughout the building—and in all of the renovated spaces— new finishes, lighting, and furniture will modernize the aesthetic of these learning spaces, bringing them to the level of The Revers Center.

UPPER LE CLASSRO

While Prince undergoes a renewal, work will also be done to the lower levels of Carlin, which will be home to the tutoring area, as well as new breakout/study spaces.

The campus transformation will continue in the fall of 2021 with planned renovations to the Allen Building, which houses the Lewis Math and Science Center. The building will have dramatic open spaces and views of Nonesuch Pond. Once the renovations are completed, it will serve as the Middle School’s primary building.

The configuration of the first floor of this building will be changed dramatically so that large rear windows overlooking Nonesuch Pond will flood this central community gathering space with natural light. That level will also be home to new Middle School science classrooms, as well as an office for the head of the Middle School. The lower level will house a suite for the IT department, renovated classrooms, and a maker space. In the summer of 2022, upper Haynes and Haffenreffer will both receive extensive facelifts, with new finishes throughout both buildings.

Finally, a new campus gateway is planned, providing a clearer sense of “arrival” on campus, addressing parking and traffic-flow challenges, and setting the stage for future campus enhancements.

None of this, of course, comes cheap. The total project cost is $9 million. Of this, $6.1 million remains to be raised in this final phase of the transformational FutureMakers campaign.

The new slate of campus updates will require the Rivers community to build on the momentum of the past few years. The ultimate schedule and scope of the renovations will, of course, depend on the school’s ability to raise the necessary funds, but Parsons is optimistic the Rivers community is up to the task.

“As the last round of campus improvements demonstrated,” he said, “this community is capable of doing whatever it puts its mind to, especially when the benefits to our students are so profound.”

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campus news

The Great Rivers Baking Show

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andemic baking has become a bit of a cliché—and for good reason.

At times like these, we could all use a little more sugar, butter, flour, and chocolate in our lives.

So last spring, even though coronavirus kept everyone physically out of one another’s kitchens, math faculty member Victoria Mizzi figured there was no better time to start a Rivers baking club.

“I knew kids who baked, so I thought this would be a way to bond and make the best of being at home,” she explains.

Maggie Barrow ’20 says that baking club was “a great way to keep connected with people.”

And a great excuse to bake. The club met once a week (online, of course) and was loosely structured around a particular baking theme each week.

“The challenge,” says Mizzi, “is to bake something you’ve never baked before and to experiment, to use ingredients you’ve never used, and to complete the task.”

The theme of the first week was cake.

Baking club members Sofia Buckle ’20, Maggie Barrow ’20, and Zoie Gainey ’20

“But it had to be a unique flavor—not chocolate or vanilla,” says Mizzi. Barrow took the opportunity to create a chocolate-chip tahini cake, which she says was “really good—kind of dense, like something you could have for breakfast.”

Ezgi Bas ’21 took on blondies as her first solo project. “I didn’t have enough brown sugar, but it turned out fine,” she says. Baking club members swapped tips, photos, and encouragement in a Google chat room between meetings.

Participants say they especially cherished the connections the experience fostered. Bas says that she really didn’t know most of the club members previously, but “everyone was so friendly— I never felt like an outsider.” And she says she enjoyed seeing a different side of her teachers: “It’s great to see them in a nonacademic setting. We’re close to our teachers at Rivers, but this is just another level of knowing them—to see them in their homes baking.”

In It Together: Students Reach Across Borders to Share Experiences

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s the spring semester wound down, language faculty member Andrea Villagran found herself wondering about high school seniors—not just those at Rivers, or even those across the U.S., but students in this cohort around the world.

Much has been said and written about what these young people have lost, from prom to senior week to graduation.

Villagran was a witness to much of that, and it gave her an idea both inspired and driven by current conditions. Why not bring together high school seniors around the globe, via Zoom, to connect, to commiserate, and perhaps to gain perspective?

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her connections to enlist high-schoolers overseas. Seniors Across Borders eventually included students from Guatemala, Panama, Slovakia, and France. A large number of participants came from the Lycée Georges Duby in Aix-en-Provence, which has been part of an exchange program with Rivers for many years.

Rivers seniors who joined in say that they were happy to make the connections. Ryan Johnsen ’20 says he was interested in participating because he had taken part in the French exchange program in 2017. The session gave him some insight into the universality of his plight: “I learned that although we come from different parts of the globe, we are experiencing the same disappointments and hardships that anyone our age would.”

It appears that some longer-lasting good will come out of the program, as well. Although actual student travel may be off the table for now, Villagran has been in conversations with our French partner school, coming up with ways to have students connect in the classroom.

Upper-level French students will also be working remotely with Boston-area ESL students from Haiti, with the language learning going in both directions. And Villagran has reached out to the school she attended in Guatemala to set up a collaborative project for her Spanish V students this winter. “This could be a valuable resource for both sets of kids,” says Villagran. “That’s the exciting part: The possibilities just become larger.”

Charity Begins with Rivers Givers

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iving money away isn’t as simple as it looks. For philanthropists— and philanthropists-in-training— it’s rarely just a matter of raising the money and writing a check. Charitable causes must be chosen and vetted with care, ensuring that they are not just well intentioned but effective. Donors need to know where their dollars are going and whether the recipients are fiscally responsible. Grant proposals must be reviewed for feasibility and impact.

It’s a complex process, and that’s really the underlying purpose of Rivers Givers, a longtime Rivers program aimed at teaching students about the ins and outs of charitable giving. Each year, a group of juniors and seniors commits to the program, which includes a threepart curriculum, several workshops, a community service project, and extensive fundraising. Early in the year, the group solicits grant proposals from an array of local nonprofits, and over the course of the yearlong program, they evaluate the proposals and award the money to those groups they deem most deserving.

“They’re learning how philanthropy works, how the nonprofit world works, and about the intersection of nonprofits, government, and industry,” says Kit Cunningham, director of community engagement at Rivers.

In the course of pursuing the program, students also meet the people behind the organizations—both staff and clients.

“Not only has the program provided me with the experience of creating fundraisers and awareness for non-profit organizations, it also has connected me

As part of the decision-making process, students paid site visits to several nonprofits.

directly to these organization’s leaders and people and initiatives they are supporting,” says Evie Thomajan ’20, who participated in the program this past year.

Once the group has narrowed down the competition, they take a day to perform site visits, so they can see the organizations firsthand. “Visiting some of the nonprofits was a great opportunity to see them in action, which helped us decide how much and where we should donate the money we raised this school year,” says Max Meyerhardt ’21, another Givers participant.

“Not only has the program provided me with the experience of creating fundraisers and awareness for non-profit organizations, it also has connected me directly to these organization’s leaders and people and initiatives they are supporting.”

Ev ie T hom a jan ’20

On a sunny day late last winter, the group boarded a bus that took them to Framingham, where they visited the offices of Call2Talk, a suicide prevention and crisis hotline supported by United Way of Tri-County, and SOAR Natick, which supports people in recovery from addiction. The students piled into the small, modest offices of both nonprofits, peppering the staff and clients with

questions about their processes and approach. They later visited the Wily Network, which helps students experiencing life challenges such as homelessness or foster care.

Cunningham notes that making the final choice about grants is “a really hard decision.”

“They get very passionate about certain ones and really argue for the ones they want. It can be a lengthy process,” she says. In the end, this year’s Givers awarded grants to all three groups, as well as the MetroWest Free Medical Program, which provides medical care to uninsured and underinsured area residents.

Typically, the awards are announced and distributed at a school assembly, with representatives from the nonprofits on hand to make brief presentations. This past year, of course, there was no spring assembly, though one may yet be scheduled for fall. But with or without the final presentation, there’s no question that the lessons of Rivers Givers have been learned. “This program has taught me so much about how nonprofit organizations operate and how to read grants and decide where to donate money,” says Meyerhardt. “I gained so much knowledge about what community service can look like and about the financial side of service.”

Says Thomajan, “Our work goes beyond providing funds. We get the opportunity to raise awareness within the Rivers community about these meaningful organizations and hopefully garner them more support.”

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campus news Adebiyi Oyaronbi ’21

The (Art) Show Must Go On

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n a typical spring, Rivers students would participate in two major art shows: The Small Independent School Arts League (SISAL) exhibition and the juried Page Waterman/Next Up! competition.

But nothing about the spring of 2020 was typical. The SISAL exhibition was canceled, due to the coronavirus outbreak, but the Page Waterman show went ahead—albeit virtually. Instead of being mounted in the gallery, the entire show went online at the Page Waterman website.

Rivers art department faculty member David Saul explained that the Page Waterman show is the brainchild of alumnus Sturdy Waterman ’74, who owns the gallery. “Back in 2017, he decided to celebrate the gallery’s centennial with the first Next Up! exhibition. It was very successful and now has turned into an annual event.”

Seven Rivers students submitted a total of 12 artworks.

Of those 12, one was awarded a third-place award in its category and two earned honorable mentions.

Saul was pleased that the gallery made the decision to move ahead with the show, despite the difficulties. “This event has Marin Broderick ’22

become an annual springtime tradition, and we’re grateful to the Page Waterman Gallery for creating this virtual exhibit to celebrate student creativity during these challenging times,” said Saul.

The students represented in the Page Waterman show were Aliesha Campbell ’20 (stoneware and porcelain); Nicholas Hardy ’20 (photography, three works, including an honorable mention award); Dylan Mentis ’20 (stoneware); George Reinhardt ’20 (photography, three works, including a third-place award); Adebiyi Oyaronbi ’21 (drawing); Marin Broderick ’22 (printmaking and stoneware, two works); Keira Harder ’22 (dry point print, honorable mention award).

Nicholas Hardy ’20

Dylan Mentis ’20

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Microbiology Class Puts Students Under the Microscope

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acteria: Friend or foe? A little of both, and students in the new interdisciplinary course Microbiology are learning just where the lines are drawn.

“The premise of the class,” says science faculty member Carina Chittim, “is that we’re learning the basics of how bacteria work—how they interact with humans, how they live on humans and inside of humans, and how they help keep us healthy but can sometimes also cause disease.”

The students’ newfound understanding of bacteria leads them to the course’s other crux: antibiotic resistance and the broader implications of antibiotic overuse. “We’re investigating how the widespread use of antibiotics can lead to larger global health crises,” says Chittim.

Students started their studies on the personal level. To gain insight into the

human microbiome, they swabbed their own skin and grew what they found in petri dishes. Then it was on to the microscopes, where the teeming world of common bacteria was revealed.

What makes the whole undertaking possible, Chittim says, is the new laboratory space and equipment in The Revers Center. “That allowed us to look at more practical applications,” says Chittim.

New tools make it possible for students to delve deeper into the hands-on processes and master high-level skills: “Creating their own petri dishes—I didn’t do that until grad school,” says Chittim, who recently completed a PhD in microbiology at Harvard.

Emily Stoller ’21 says she was drawn to the class because she hopes to pursue a career in medicine and public health.

But the appeal of the elective isn’t limited

Maggie Leeming ’21 prepares to study the bacteria on her skin.

to future scientists. Maggie Leeming ’21 says she’s “more of a humanities person,” but she saw the course as an opportunity to explore something new. “One really cool thing I’ve learned in class is that our bodies have more microbial cells than human cells,” she says. The conclusion, as important as it is inescapable, points toward the value of studying our microbiomes: “Humans are more bacteria than human.”

Dr. Jamil Zaki: A Powerful Message for Challenging Times

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hoosing one’s preferred hypo- thetical superpower is a fun parlor game, but Dr. Jamil Zaki has an answer that actually lies within anyone’s grasp. The renowned Stanford psychology professor, who addressed the entire student body on October 21 as part of The Hall Family Speaker Series, maintains that empathy is a superpower— one that’s particularly apt for our divisive times.

Students viewed Zaki’s virtual visit, organized by the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, in their advisory groups. Human beings, Zaki said, tend to categorize, to resort to an us-andthem mentality, says Zaki. “That’s not inherently bad,” he said, “but it can turn bad”—as when it prevents us from seeing those who are different from us, or whose ideas differ from ours, as fully human.

That dehumanizing of the other makes it difficult, if not impossible, to connect

Dr. Amy Enright, of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, chatted with Dr. Jamil Zaki during his virtual presentation.

with those with whom we disagree. The solution, said Zaki, is empathy—learning to understand where people are coming from, how and why they hold their

particular viewpoints, and what areas of common ground might be found.

It’s a tough balancing act, he conceded. “Empathizing with someone is not the same as agreeing with them,” he said. “It isn’t giving up your ideals; it’s just acknowledging and respecting that there is a person on the other side of the argument.” At a moment when Americans are strongly divided, that empathy may be at once more difficult and more necessary than ever.

After a lively Q&A, CCCE Director Dr. Amy Enright thanked Zaki for a presentation that “gave us so much to think about.” Zaki’s approach serves as a reminder that, despite today’s challenges, a robust tool is near at hand: “Most people,” he says, “don’t realize how much of a superpower empathy can be.”

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campus news

Meet Our New Trustees This year, we are happy to welcome five new term trustees and a new life trustee to our board. Their expertise and enthusiasm promise to make them valuable assets to Rivers.

Term Trustees Rachel HunterGoldman ’08 lives

in Brooklyn, NY, and was the recipient of the Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2018. She was named to the 2017 Forbes “30 Under 30” finance list after being nominated by her employer, Apollo Global Management.

Prior to joining Apollo’s Commercial Real Estate Credit team, Rachel worked for Morgan Stanley. She helped found the Commercial Real Estate’s Young Professionals Steering Committee, as well as Women in Real Estate, and continues to be passionate about environmental conservation and protection—a passion that began at Rivers. Rachel attended Brown University.

Matt Fruhan P’22, ’24, ’26 is a port-

folio manager in the Equity Division at Fidelity Investments who has managed more than 10 funds distributed over multiple sectors. He has been with Fidelity since 1995 and is highly regarded by industry analysts. He and his wife, Greta, have three children at Rivers who have come through the Middle School. Matt attended Harvard College and Harvard Business School.

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Susan Rapple P’22 leads the

Alison Hall P’19

is a health, nutrition, and wellness editor in the publishing field. She and her husband, Max, who is a science teacher at Concord Academy, have been part of the Middle School’s Rivers community since their daughter, The Lion King Jr. Natalie ’19, entered in sixth grade in 2012. Deeply inspired by Natalie’s experiences at Rivers, including singing with the Conservatory Program and performing in theater productions, Alison has remained involved with the RSC. She is also active in projects that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as community and civic engagement.

Alison received a BA in English from Colgate and an MA in creative writing from Boston University.

Michael London P’25 is a recognized

thought leader in education technology and online learning. He currently serves as the founding CEO of Uwill, a mental health platform that offers students on-demand access to counselors. Previously, he served as founding CEO of Examity, one of the nation’s fastest-growing education companies, as well as Bloomberg Institute, College Coach, and EdAssist. He received his BS with honors from Babson College and his MBA from Boston University.

His volunteerism includes many years on the Babson Board of Advisors and a more recent appointment to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Trustee Advisory Board. He and his family joined the Rivers community two years ago when his son, Marc ’25, entered sixth grade.

fundraising team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and has more than 30 years of experience leading development strategy and comprehensive fundraising activities for nonprofits.

Prior to joining BWH, she served as Harvard Medical School’s dean for resource development and Dana-Farber’s associate vice president of development, and in leadership positions in development at the Harvard School of Public Health and Dartmouth Medical School.

Susan earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from Babson College and her master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She and her wife, Brandi Sikorski, live in Belmont with their daughter, Abigail Sikorski ’22.

Life Trustee Robert J. Davis P’06, ’08, ’13

is a managing partner of Highland Capital Partners.

He joined the Rivers board in 2003, the year after his son Brian enrolled, and served two tenures (the second as board president) from 2014 to 2018. During his time on the board, Bob served on numerous committees: master planning, facilities, committee on trustees, athletics, major gifts, executive committee, and the head’s search committee. Under his leadership, the Board developed and adopted the 2015 Strategic Plan, providing a blueprint for the school’s future. Bob has always been a vocal champion of all things Rivers and is most proud of his three Rivers graduates: Brian ’06, Michelle ’08, and Danny ’13.

R i v e r s i d e C h at

Five Questions for . . . John Adams To say that the spring, summer, and fall have been busy for John Adams would be a significant understatement. The math teacher and director of academic technology at Rivers spent untold hours helping the school prepare for its fall reopening. When we spoke over the summer, Adams was gearing up for three possible scenarios: In person, online, and hybrid—with an emphasis on flexibility and the ability to pivot quickly. “The way you plan for this is planning for full online,” he explained, noting that it’s best to be ready for the worst.

Did anything in your background prepare you for the current moment?

I always think of Steve Jobs’s graduation speech at Stanford, where he said you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. There are things in my experience that I’m referencing that I didn’t anticipate. For example, when I worked in sales, we used to make calls to schedule meetings. A lot of that was talking through a software platform, and that’s essentially what I’m doing. And all the team sports I played, there was the team dynamic of stepping up and making sacrifices. Those types of things have prepared me.

What was the biggest challenge in preparing for this year?

Training. We took a full-court-press approach to training, not just on the technical aspects but the basic elements of running a class, distributing work, providing feedback. And within all that, while you’re doing all these things, how do you maintain the Rivers ethos of Excellence with Humanity and relationship building? You can’t just train in the technology and forget what the school is all about.

Are there some positives that came out of the crisis?

Canvas [the school’s new learning management system] is a hub that makes for a good online learning experience, but teachers are recognizing how it streamlines their processes and gives them much more capability.

It’s a huge silver lining. We needed this, and it wouldn’t have happened if COVID weren’t around.

Will the current circumstances affect not just the format but the content of classroom work?

People are going through a rigorous evaluation of their courses.

If you were to tell every teacher to do that in a regular year, it would be insane. But in this case, that’s what happened, helped along by a lot of support and collaboration. Whether online or in person, we’re going to continue to provide the excellent education we’ve always provided.

Your superpower of choice?

With family in D.C., Connecticut, and San Francisco, I’d like to have the ability to teleport, so I could easily see them. Mask on, teleport, visit, then get back to your house. And you could also use it to go to cool places.

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n o t e s f r o m t h e c o n s e r v at o r y

Lifelong Learning is the Key to Resilience in RSC Jazz Department to navigate the unexpected transitions to remote, hybrid, and socially distanced in-person teaching.

From the start of the school closing last spring, the jazz department—whose members are skilled in the art of improvising—adapted quickly and successfully to remote teaching. Faculty members immediately transferred their lessons to Zoom without missing a session. Next, they tackled the next challenge of continuing live musical collaboration, described by Crettien as “the whole thrill and challenge of jazz.”

After discovering that the SoundJack platform allows for virtual playing among ensemble members performing up to 500 miles apart, jazz faculty downloaded the software and began to experiment. They found it to be a Philippe Crettien P’05 (right) working with Felipe Salles (left), his composition professor at UMass Amherst last year.

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ccording to Jazz Department Director Philippe Crettien, jazz musicians must always keep learning in order to remain fluent in the evolving art form. “Jazz is a music of convening influences,” he says. “It’s a vibrant, living thing, so you have to stay on top of it if you want to be relevant.” Crettien models this commitment to continuing education, having recently completed a master’s degree in jazz composition after 20 years of teaching. The challenging two years he spent composing for choral, orchestra, and jazz ensembles at UMass Amherst pushed him outside of his comfort zone and enhanced his already excellent instruction.

He says that curiosity is a shared trait among his 11 colleagues in the department, who are also professional musicians. Guitarist Patrick Mottaz, for instance, has spent the past three years exploring the value of tech- nology in jazz education. He says he has found “a whole new teaching toolbox” in audio apps such as GarageBand and Logic, which he uses to teach music theory concepts, help students record original compositions, and demonstrate his own songs.

Even as jazz faculty such as Crettien and Mottaz have consistently worked hard to acquire knowledge that elevates their teaching, the past year has produced a particularly urgent demand for new skills. The jazz department has risen to this challenge, working together

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Trombonist and RSC faculty member Clayton DeWalt (shown leading an outdoor class) has adjusted to teaching in the COVID era.

“game changer,” in Crettien’s words. Trombonist Clayton DeWalt worked tirelessly to understand the technology’s intricacies through research and trial and error. He also relied upon colleagues throughout the process, exchanging ideas and gathering for trial calls. DeWalt has gained a wealth of knowledge, which he shares with the community via video tutorials. “I just think about what I would want to know if I were learning for the first time. You learn so much more about it yourself as you break it down into steps for

others,” he says. In this case, as with Crettien’s graduate studies and Mottaz’s use of technology, love of learning goes hand-in-hand with leadership in COVID-era education.

When the world turned upside down, the RSC Jazz Department led with resilience. As a team that is devoted to a growing and changing genre, the department was prepared to respond creatively to the obstacles presented by the pandemic.

— Marissa Birne ’15

Introducing The Rivers School Conservatory Innovation Fund

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he Rivers School Conservatory is pleased to announce the creation of a new fund, designed to invest in the development of innovative practices and programs. Established with a gift from Sarah and Bob Bua, parents of Cecily ’21 and Griffin ’19, the Innovation Fund will increase access to the high-quality music education that RSC provides and enhance the school’s reputation as a premier music conservatory.

Sarah Bua, who also lends her leadership as a member of the Rivers Music Executive Committee, says, “Music has been an essential part of my life, from when I was a child all the way to the present moment. Musical training and performance teach essential skills that prepare youth for a lifetime of impact and connection.

We are excited to support RSC as it innovates towards that envisioned future.” Already, the Innovation Fund has been instrumental in helping RSC navigate teaching and learning in a hybrid model during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supported and inspired by the Buas’ investment, RSC has pursued SoundJack technology as a tool for the remote continuation of ensembles. With this valuable software, chamber groups and jazz combos can play together in real time from different locations without any lag in sound. Students and faculty participating in these programs have received equipment packages that include the microphone, audio interface, and headphones needed to use SoundJack. In this way, the fund has facilitated musical collaboration in a manner that was not previously thought possible and made it possible to include students who would not otherwise be able to enroll for health and safety reasons.

The fund has also supported the creation of tutorial videos designed to instruct the community on the use of SoundJack, accompanying equipment, and other pedagogical software. Jazz faculty member Clayton

RSC Director Gabriella Sanna is excited about the new fund and its impact on the Conservatory.

DeWalt says of the project, “I’m hopeful that the work we’re doing now will continue to serve us well for the rest of the year and into the future, as the landscape of music education evolves.” RSC Director Gabriella Sanna echoes DeWalt: “I am endlessly grateful to Sarah and Bob Bua for their dedication to RSC, and I am excited about the ways in which this fund will continue to support faculty, programs, and students in pursuit of musical excellence.”

To learn more, or to contribute to the Innovation Fund, please contact Jan Hicinbothem (j.hicinbothem@ rivers.org), RSC associate director of advancement, or RSC Director Gabriella Sanna (g.sanna@rivers.org).

—MB

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f o c u s o n fa c u lt y

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Me lissa D o l an ’ 9 8

Furnishing the Toolbox

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he antidote to hopelessness,” says eighth grade humanities teacher Melissa Dolan, “is not optimism, but agency. We’re giving students the tools they need to enter this world and make it better.”

Has there ever been a more challenging—or more vital—time to convey that message to students? Dolan, who also serves as director of Middle School curriculum, is acutely mind- ful of the moment and how it might affect what happens in her classroom. “We’re learning about the interconnectedness of systems, with the pandemic and the protests. And we need citizens and leaders who are leaning into that complexity.”

But in Dolan’s view, the complexity has been a long time coming—predating the pandemic by several years.

“I’d trace it back 10 years, as partisanship has increased. It’s not something that just appeared recently.”

The shifting political and cultural winds caused Dolan to overhaul the eighth-grade humanities course, formally known as “Systems of Justice and Injustice,” a few years back. “For a number of years, it has centered around the theme of human rights, and in particular on the U.S. Constitution,” she explains. Then, she says,

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around the time of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, she noticed that students “weren’t necessarily making connections in using the past to navigate current events.” For example, she says, she realized that the course’s approach to the civil-rights movement treated it as a fait accompli rather than an ongoing struggle. “I was teaching it as though it were a moment in history, one that had a happy ending.

No wonder they weren’t making the connection.”

Another challenge, she says, lay in the increasingly divisive nature of discourse, in and out of the classroom. “We were struggling to get beyond one side versus the other side and wrestling with the idea of trying to break free of those binary perspectives.”

The solution lay in refocusing the course on “systems thinking.” “We’ve gone from looking at human rights to analyzing systems of justice. We’re working with similar material but having students analyze how systems influence individuals and see who in those systems holds power.” It’s a scaffolding for understanding that can be applied broadly: “We wanted to build a framework that could help them process whatever came their way and navigate a rapidly changing

world. And they walk out of class knowing they have a voice and they have power.”

Dolan has seen Rivers classrooms from both sides of the desk. “I had an extraordinary experience as a student,” says Dolan. “I was a quiet kid who would have been happy to fly under the radar. Rivers didn’t let me do that; it pulled me out of my shell.”

When she returned, after college, it was initially to coach hockey; she also worked in the alumni and advancement offices, an “incredibly influential” experience that helped her better understand the behindthe-scenes work that takes place at independent schools.

As a middle school teacher, she does sometimes earn both pity and plaudits from those who find the age group challenging. Dolan is decidedly not one of their number. “I love the energy that middle schoolers bring every day,” she says. And, she notes, the learning—and indeed the systems thinking—flows in both directions.

“I love how frequently my students make me see the world differently and change my perspective. They constantly encourage me to think in new ways.”

— Jane Dornbusch

red wing report

New Athletics Director Keith Zalaski Takes the Reins

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uckily for Rivers, Keith Zalaski, the school’s new director of athletics, is a man who likes solving problems. The veteran math teacher and coach acknowledges that, in taking on the AD position in this challenging year, he’s stepping into a landscape populated with “moving targets— and you don’t know where they’re going to land. But,” he continues, “the math side of me enjoys complex word problems.” The keys, he says, are “flexibility and nimbleness.”

Taking on the role held by longtime AD Bob Pipe, Zalaski is very aware of the legacy he’s inheriting. “It feels like I’m stepping into big shoes, but in the best way,” says Zalaski. “The way he operated was in some ways similar to the way I operate.”

To Zalaski, whose parents were both educators, that means seeing the whole student and integrating the academic and athletic sides of the day. He cites a maxim his father used to invoke, referring to the classroom: “He’d talk about the Three R’s: Relationships, relevance, and rigor. If people know you care, you can bring in relevance and rigor, but the relationships have to come first.”

Zalaski played basketball at Amherst College, where he majored in economics. After graduation, he says, “I was looking around at jobs in finance, and I wasn’t really excited about it.” A reprieve came in the form of a coaching job at Williston Northampton School, which he pursued at the suggestion of his college coach.

“I found that I enjoyed working with kids,” he says, both on the playing fields and in the classroom.

Eventually, he made his way to Boston, where his then girlfriend (now wife) was living and where he would go on to earn a master’s degree at Tufts. He also served as assistant men’s basketball coach at Tufts, while teaching at area high schools. But Zalaski was eager to combine both functions—teaching and coaching—in one position, and when a suitable opening came up at Rivers in 2015, he jumped at the opportunity. He continues to teach Advanced Algebra II even as he takes up the athletics director position.

Zalaski acknowledges that this year, with its COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, will provide a very different type of experience for the school’s student athletes. But, he says, “The approach, and the things we’re looking for our kids to get out of it—those things don’t change. The most important thing about coaching is understanding that we are educators, and that our job is to educate the students to develop as players and as people.”

— JD

New Coaches Join Rivers Along with a new athletics director, Rivers welcomed four new head coaches this year.

• Freddy Meyer will serve as boys’ hockey coach. A former NHL player, Meyer was a member of three Beanpot Championship teams at Boston University. He has many years of experience coaching at the semi-pro, club, and student levels.

• Courtney Sheary is the new girls’ hockey coach. She played at Cushing Academy and the University of New Hampshire, and most recently served as assistant coach at Buckingham Browne and Nichols School.

• New head football coach Randdy Lindsey P’22, ’24, ’26 was promoted to the top job this past spring, having served as associate head coach since 2019. He is also head coach for Mass Elite Football University National Team, a program for middle schoolers.

• Helming girls’ basketball will be Lindsay Miller, who spent five years as assistant coach at her alma mater, Harvard University.

She also holds an M.Ed. degree in clinical counseling and sports psychology from Boston University.

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F U T U RE MAKER S : PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT

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Sameer Agarwal ’96: “Rivers was Instrumental”

he journey from art history to brand management might not appear to be a direct route, but to Sameer Agarwal ’96, it makes perfect sense.

Agarwal is vice president of marketing for Clinique North America at the Estee Lauder Companies, managing a team of 23 and leading “go to market” strategies for Clinique products on several fronts. The onetime art history and political science major at Tufts says that Sameer much of his job is analyzing creative work, Agarwal ’96 both visual and verbal. “A big part of what I do is looking at visual media and asking ‘Are we communicating our message effectively?’ When I think about my study of art history, it’s parallel to what I do today.”

Rivers, he says, was “instrumental in my career.” It was here that his love of art history was born, in Jack Jarzavek’s popular course on that subject. English classes also left a strong impression: “Reading Shakespeare and The Great Gatsby and trying to understand the characters’ psychology was a foundational experience, one that laid the groundwork for assessing what consumers are thinking at a deep level and how to market to them effectively.”

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The Stenquists: Providing Opportunity for Others

he Stenquist siblings—Derek ’06, Nicole ’08, and Jake ’15—are unquestionably givers. For evidence, look no further than their career choices. Derek is completing training as an orthopedic trauma surgeon; Nicole is a physician assistant working in an advanced urgent care facility, where she sees COVID-19 patients on a daily basis; Jake is a Marine currently enrolled in flight school.

But they’ve also been generous givers to Rivers, because all three siblings say they owe their careers to their experiences at the school.

“I think we continue to donate because Rivers really set all three of us up for our successful paths,” says Nicole.

“Successful” is a modest way to put it. All three were serious jazz musicians and scholar-athletes at Rivers; all three played soccer at the collegiate level. And all three contend that none of that would have been possible without Rivers.

Independent school was not a given for the Stenquists.

But after Derek entered ninth grade at the local public high school, his parents started to think about other options. “Much of it had to do with the fact that we were all avid soccer players. And at the same time, we had a lot of other interests,” says Derek. The family chose Rivers for its small size, robust offerings, and sense of community. Once Derek was happily ensconced at Rivers, it was only natural that Nicole and Jake would follow.

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After college, Agarwal went to work at a market research firm that focused on retail. “It was my first exposure to brand management,” he says. And it clicked with him. After earning an MBA, he worked for several large consumerproducts companies including General Mills and Johnson & Johnson. For about a year, he’s been with Clinique, where his latest challenge has been interpreting—and shaping— consumer behavior during a pandemic that shifted consumers’ mindset and shopping behaviors.

Agarwal says that although his immigrant parents were “not particularly affluent, they really believed that investing in education was how we would be successful.”

Sending Agarwal and his brother to independent school demanded some sacrifice from them, and to honor that sacrifice and pay it forward, Agarwal has given to Rivers consistently for many years.

“Giving back is just a small way of—well, giving back,” he says. “Someone gave to Rivers to make it what it was when I was there, so now I give. It’s the cycle of giving.”

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Jake, Nicole, and Derek Stenquist at Nicole’s August 2019 wedding The siblings are mindful that financial aid made attending Rivers possible for them. That, too, inspires their giving. “We want to help other kids have the same opportunities we had,” says Nicole. And those opportunities are seemingly boundless, resonating far beyond Rivers. Says Derek, “No question, I wouldn’t be where I am today without Rivers.”

Building on our Strengths: Lifetime Donors Transform Campus

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he history of an institution like Rivers can be traced in many ways: through the evolution of its philosophy, through the expansion of its reach, even through the success of its sports teams. But perhaps one of the most telling lenses through which to view Rivers’s growth is through its campus infrastructure—and through the community efforts that have brought our campus to its present-day incarnation.

Today, Rivers can boast of a state-of-the-art science and visual arts building; a modern campus center; ample classrooms; music instruction and performance spaces that are second to none; and athletic facilities that reflect the excellence of our teams. It’s a testament to the commitment of our donors, who saw the school’s potential even when its campus was more modest.

“The building out of the campus was a slow process, and not having enough money was always a problem,” says history faculty member and Rivers archivist David Burzillo. “When the school opened in Weston [in 1960], the gym was not full size, and it was also unfinished. There were no locker rooms, so sports teams showered with hoses in the barn during the fall season.”

Fundraising in the early days was a challenge, says Burzillo.

But the transformational gift of Harriet and Alan Lewis

P’00, ’02 in 1997 changed all that. Earmarked for the renovation of the science facilities, it was then the single largest gift in the school’s history. “Getting the gift was certainly a big deal,” says Burzillo. “It seemed like the school finally made the big time.” Rivers had grown into the kind of institution that could garner large, transformative gifts.

Today, Rivers has received many such transformational gifts, each building on the shoulders of those that came before. When The Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts opened this past January, it presented an opportunity to herald the generosity of all the donors who have made a lifetime commitment of $1M or more. A new plaque affixed to the lobby wall is inscribed with the list of donors—long and growing—who have made that lifetime commitment. These valued supporters have helped transform our campus and allow us to build for the future.

It’s a far cry from showering with hoses. Burzillo points to The Revers Center as the foremost example of how far we’ve come. “I think the school planned the building it wanted and actually got the building it planned,” he says.

Head of School Ned Parsons adds, “The Revers Center plaque is a visual reminder of all those past donors who have played an instrumental role in our history. And there’s room for more names on the plaque, as we look toward our future.”

Jennifer and Jon Paul: Rivers Believers

Jennifer and Jon Paul P’17, ’19 have viewed our campus improvements from a front-row seat for several years. Jon serves as a member of the executive committee and chair of the facilities committee, and the Pauls have supported the FutureMakers vision at a leadership level.

“It has been a thrill to work with so many dedicated members of the faculty, staff, and the Board to execute the initial phases of the Jennifer campus master plan,” says Jon. “It was clear immediately upon the and Jon Paul, opening of the Revers Center and the new field complex that Rivers P’17, ’19 has leapfrogged its peers in facilities for the students.” He’s especially fond of the new boardwalk, which will be named after the Pauls in recognition of their efforts: “It allows Rivers to take advantage of its unique waterfront setting.”

Jon is excited about the next phase of campus improvements (see page 3). “The upcoming renovations to the Prince building and the other buildings around the quad will be game changers for the Middle School,” he says.

The Pauls are delighted to be part of a tradition of donors whose vision helped transform our campus. “Jennifer and I have been so fortunate to be part of the Rivers family for the past seven years,” says Jon. “Rivers provided incredible experiences to our children and gave us some of our greatest memories and closest friends. We are strong believers in fall 2020 | Riparian Excellence with Humanity and are excited to see Rivers continue to grow.”

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A Renewed Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

By Jane Dornbusch

The campus was illuminated during a virtual vigil for racial justice in June.

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he n Ava Arc h iba l d , d ire ctor of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at Rivers, took up her post in July 2019, she thought she knew what to expect. After all, she had led DEI efforts in independent schools for the better part of 20 years, and she was familiar with the kinds of challenges and opportunities the work entails.

From the vantage point of 2020, last year seems distant indeed. The pandemic has laid bare the inequities in our society and our systems. The resultant economic downturn only made those inequities worse. And then, in May, came the killing of George Floyd and the waves of protest, the ascendance of the Black Lives Matter movement and the reckoning on racism in America.

The moment presents a challenge to institutions like Rivers. But Archibald, far from feeling daunted, is encouraged by what the upheaval reveals about Rivers and its commitment to DEI work.

“When you see people in difficult moments, that’s when you see true colors,” says Archibald. Her first exposure to that side of Rivers came in the wake of faculty member Dan McCartney’s death last winter, which shocked and galvanized the community. “I felt like I had learned quite a lot about Rivers through that,” she continues.

But the events of the spring and summer showed her an even fuller picture. “Schools have a reputation for moving at a glacial pace,” she says. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years and

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have never seen a school move with the kind of alacrity Rivers has. That tells me a lot about where we’re headed and how quickly we want it to happen.”

That key phrase—where we’re headed and how quickly we want it to happen—has been the subject of intense discussion over the past several months. And the discussion has unfolded on many fronts: Not just among the administration, or members of the DEI office, but between students, alumni, trustees, parents, and indeed the entire Rivers community.

Laying the Groundwork

The conversation didn’t begin with the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many other Black Americans. Long before those deaths sparked a national reckoning on racism, Rivers had been focused on finding new approaches to its DEI work. A new DEI mission statement was approved in 2018, at the urging of former DEI director John Bower, now head of the Middle School. Bower recognized that the time had come for Rivers to move beyond mere numbers in its diversity work, to encompass a cultural shift involving equity and inclusion. One of the outcomes was the creation of a three-member DEI team, headed by Archibald, where once the DEI office consisted of just one person. Today, Archibald is joined in the DEI office by Katie Henderson on the Upper School side and Sydnie Schwarz in the Middle School.

Head of School Ned Parsons says that the idea was to “change the structure of how we support DEI on campus,

“You can’t walk away from a child’s experience, apologize, and hope it’s okay. We all looked at each other and said ‘We’ve got to do something.’ That was my moment of reckoning.”

— Ned Parsons to be a much more robust system of support.” No longer would it suffice to confine diversity concerns to a discrete area, separate from the broader life of the school. Says Parsons, “Ava is now charged with being the strategic voice in the room, making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do. She’s involved in hiring, mentoring, marketing, admissions, curriculum—all these ways that are very direct. It’s not just something we tack on or put on the side.”

Toward that end, one of Archibald’s first moves—perhaps counterintuitively to some—was to reimagine the Day of Consideration, a longstanding Rivers initiative that dedicates a particular day to diversity concerns. Bower had overseen an earlier evolution of the event. “It used to be called ‘diversity day,’ but that wasn’t working,” he recalls. Around 2014, he says, the mission of the day was broadened and redefined; that year, says Bower, the theme was “opening hearts and minds,” and it marked a shift toward “being more intentional in bringing more and more people into diversity work.”

It was a timely and thoughtful pivot, but Archibald believes the moment has come to move toward an approach that is more pervasive and ongoing. “We’re going to have more intense, briefer, and more frequent sessions,” she says.

Henderson adds, “For a long time, DEI has felt like something added in or added on. We’ve had someone standing on a stage speaking, with students being passive listeners.” This year, instead, students will work within affinity groups to gain a greater understanding of their own identities and how those identities inform and shape racist systems. The groundwork for that approach had already been laid before the events of the spring brought Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work more to the fore.

Similarly, say the student leaders of BRIDGE (Building Real Intercultural Dialogue to Generate Engagement)—a group that focuses on issues of diversity, equity, and justice—actions had been planned prior to the death of George Floyd and the resultant cries for social justice.

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Ava Archibald (left) leads a DEI team that includes Katie Henderson (center) and Sydnie Schwarz (right)

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and have never seen a school move with the kind of alacrity Rivers has. That tells me a lot about where we’re headed and how quickly we want it to happen.”

— Ava Archibald “We had already been doing a lot of programming for the community on cultural competency and different topics,” says Talia Davis ’21, one of the group’s leaders. They had already prepared antiracism and allyship resource guides and materials to support guided conversations around race and COVID-19.

“Almost all of that we had created before any of the protests started,” says Davis. “We were already dealing with the racial inequities around COVID-19.” School was then taking place remotely, but the physical separation proved no obstacle to these student initiatives and indeed underscored their urgency.

Summer of Self-Reflection

Although change was already in the air—intensified by inequities exposed by the pandemic—the protests following Floyd’s death pushed the nation, and Rivers, into a new stage. It wasn’t simply that the national conversation had changed; events specific to Rivers also forced a reckoning.

In the wake of the protests, alumni and students at many schools and colleges took to social media to share their campus experiences with racism, both personal and systemic. The most visible of these was a series of “Black @...” Instagram accounts, in which current and former students posted schoolspecific instances of racism. Rivers, like many schools, was called out in a Black@Rivers account, and for many, the incidents detailed there were deeply disturbing: tale after tale of students of color being mistreated, marginalized, mocked, dismissed.

Black@Rivers, says Henderson, “could not be ignored.”

For many in the community, accustomed to thinking of Rivers 18

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as a welcoming, inclusive, progressive institution, the Instagram posts were shocking and deeply disturbing.

But Parsons says that while the posts on Black@Rivers were difficult to see, they didn’t fully take him by surprise. A year and a half earlier, at a school assembly marking Martin Luther King Day, a group of students of color had taken to the stage to share their experiences with racism at Rivers. “It was essentially a live version of Black@Rivers, where students got up to the mic and talked to the whole school about what happens at Rivers,” says Parsons. “That was really the eye-opening moment for me. You can’t walk away from a child’s experience, apologize, and hope it’s okay. We all looked at each other and said ‘We’ve got to do something.’ That was my moment of reckoning.”

Archibald agrees that Black@Rivers was “not at all surprising. Steve Yancey [Rivers’s first black graduate, in the Class of 1970] said the same things happened when he was here.

Same stuff, different decade.”

It may not have been new, but for many, the moment seemed pivotal—even as others say it was a long time coming.

Lucy Ton That ’22, another student leader of BRIDGE, rejects the notion that the killings, the protests, or the Instagram accounts could be characterized as galvanizing. “It might be galvanizing for non-Black individuals, but students of color have always known these problems existed. It didn’t just come out of nowhere,” she says.

Adebiyi Oyaronbi ’21, BRIDGE’s third student leader, says he was disappointed with the school’s initial reaction to Black@ Rivers: “The only response I saw was ‘We are deeply pained.’

What about the people who are facing this on a daily basis?” To Davis, that response is of a piece with the school’s reluctance to do the hard work of antiracism. “As a community, our culture is very positive; we don’t lean into discomfort,” she says.

But this time is different, with Parsons vowing that Rivers will “step into the challenge openly and in the right spirit.”

As protests roiled the nation, and as the Rivers community responded with a virtual candlelight vigil, a student-organized “die-in” featuring eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence commemorating George Floyd’s murder, and online student drop-in sessions offering support and guidance, a group of students and alumni sent the administration a letter outlining proposals for “tangible, impactful, and urgent ways that Rivers can take action to align its commitment to social justice with actionable steps toward fostering an ever-improving culture of anti-racism and awareness.”

The letter was signed by 525 current students and alumni.

It asked for specific actions and proposed a timeline for those actions. On the list were a demand that a racial education course be added to the formal curriculum and offered as an elective in the 2021–22 school year; that the freshman year seminar be restructured to address equity issues; that, starting in fall 2020, student leaders take part in mandatory training programs; that all staff participate in annual DEI training; and that the discipline code be updated to increase student, staff,

and administrative accountability when addressing disciplinary matters pertaining to discrimination, among other requests.

Parsons sent out an email to Rivers faculty and staff about using the moment as an opportunity to engage with antiracism work, asking them to double down on their efforts and, more specifically, to listen to the podcast “Seeing White.” He also sent a message to parents and students describing the school’s path forward, including its responses to the alumni and student petition.

“Many of the requests fall in line with work that we have already begun at Rivers,” he wrote, “and in other cases, the requests reflect ideas we had only begun to consider. In every case, the suggestions in the letter help inform our thinking and planning.” He went on to pledge that, whatever might happen outside of Rivers, the momentum of the current moment would only serve to strengthen the school’s commitment to changing its culture and practices.

A Job For All

For too long, many say, the work of addressing and dismantling racism has belonged to people of color. That’s true of the nation as a whole, and it’s been true of Rivers.

“The process of making our school a more socially conscious place almost always falls on the backs of people of color,” notes Davis. But as the summer wore on, white members of

Alumni Speak Out

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n June, when more than 500 alumni and current students sent a letter to the administration, outlining suggestions for new DEI priorities, the school listened. Several of the ideas in the letter were taken up; others, already under way, were fast-tracked. And several alumni Zoom sessions—some for alumni of color, others for all alumni—were set up to discuss Rivers’s current and future plans to address racism.

The moderators for some of the sessions were two deeply engaged Black alumnae: Louise Cummings ’98, who served on the board of trustees for 10 years and is now chair of the board committee on enrollment management, marketing, and diversity, and Jemea Goso ’04, a current trustee. Both felt called to step up their engagement with DEI work following the events of the spring and summer.

“I wanted to do my part,” says Goso. “It’s personal for me.”

Cummings, along with Quanita Worsley ’98, was one of the school’s first black female graduates.

As a long-serving board member, she witnessed the

evolution of the school’s approach. “When I started, the emphasis was on diversity, on the numbers,” she says. “Now we’ve learned that it’s just as important to discuss the equity and inclusion parts.”

Both Cummings and Goso have fond memories of Rivers—which is why they’re hopeful for substantive change. “Alumni are invested in Rivers and can hold Rivers accountable,” says Goso.

Their own time at Rivers shaped their desire to support current students. Cummings says that while she experienced little or none of the challenge and pain described by alumni in the Black@Rivers Instagram account (see main story), she knows that those experiences are very real. “Having alumni come forward was powerful, and I always say we don’t want another student to have the same experience. These alumni can help explain what could have been better.

That’s where alumni are crucial to this conversation.

We can talk about it and empathize, but what we really want is to make it better.”

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Anti-bias training was a component of this year’s grade-level orientations.

The white ally group, meeting on campus in October to build community and formulate goals, closed out the session with a little socially distanced yoga.

“When I started, the emphasis was on diversity, on the numbers. Now we’ve learned that it’s just as important to discuss the equity and inclusion parts.”

— Louise Cummings ’98 the community stepped up to the plate. Under the aegis of the DEI office, faculty and staff were invited to join a white ally group that met several times over the summer. The group used the podcast “Seeing White” as its “text,” with the episodes serving as jumping-off points for discussions that were challenging and productive.

“One of the things white folks struggle with in conversations around race,” says Upper School DEI coordinator Henderson, “is that we lack a historical lens or knowledge. “The ‘Seeing White’ podcast, with its focus on historical content, helped listeners understand the history of systemic racism.” The summer session quickly filled to capacity; subsequent sessions were scheduled for fall, winter, and spring.

At the same time, on the student side, Henderson approached Maggie Monaghan ’19 and Maggie Leeming ’21—past and current leaders of the white affinity group for students—about undertaking a similar effort over the summer. The team, affectionately known as “The Maggies,” led several virtual sessions over the summer for white students seeking to address racism at Rivers.

Why was it crucial that the group be restricted to white students? Leeming explains, “One factor in having a white space is definitely learning how to educate oneself and others without leaning on people of color—to do all that learning and messing up in an all-white space so you’re not hurting people of color. You’re building muscle memory and practicing to be an ally in a low-stakes situation.” Adds Monaghan, “We can’t be relying solely on students of color; we need white students who are real accomplices.” (She prefers the term “accomplice” 20

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to the more common “ally”: “The goal is to be a step up from an ally—not just ‘I’m here for you’ but ‘I’m an antiracist.’”)

The first student session attracted an unprecedented 40 students, and although attendance dropped off in subsequent sessions, the leaders were encouraged by what they saw—up to a point. “This was just the beginning,” says Leeming. “There’s only so much you can do in four one-hour meetings. Going into the school year, we’re definitely going to be touching on more. And this is lifelong work, for Rivers and for everyone.

This doesn’t end after four sessions.”

New Year, New Initiatives

And the momentum of the summer did carry into the start of the school year. “For DEI directors, it’s a windfall,” says Archibald, adding, “At the same time you don’t want to drown in it. The question becomes, How can you seize the momentum and at the same time plot a course that’s reasonable and feasible?”

Several of the suggestions made in the alumni petition began to take shape, most notably in the area of curriculum review. Archibald, along with Amy Enright, director of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, and Kit Cunningham, director of community engagement, had been working on a new required interdisciplinary course for 10th grade since July 2019; the events of the spring and summer accelerated that process, says Archibald, and the new course, titled “Power,” is on tap to launch next fall. Archibald explains that the course—pulling in strands from English, history, math, and science—moves “from self-awareness to action, with the

“This is lifelong work, for Rivers and for everyone.

This doesn’t end after four sessions.”

— Maggie Leeming ’21 aim of guiding students thoughtfully through individual and social identifiers to an understanding of systems of oppression and toward civic, community, and global engagement.

It’s designed to be a curriculum connector; all disciplines find their way into this work.”

This year’s grade-level orientations included a DEI training session for every grade; student leaders and captains also had anti-bias training. Faculty and staff are undergoing such training, too. The school’s conduct code has been updated to address consequences for racist and bias incidents, and a bias reporting system is now in place—crucial initiatives, says Archibald, if Rivers wants to claim that “we’re really doing the work of making the school more inclusive, more racially just.”

Other actions are planned or underway. In place of the Day of Consideration, Archibald and her team have several all-school events scheduled for the year. Middle School DEI coordinator Schwarz, new to Rivers this year, is working to make sure that the Middle School efforts align with those of the Upper School—a goal made easier by the teamwork of the

DEI department. “I meet with Ava and Katie twice a week.

Whenever there’s DEI programming, all three of us discuss it,” says Schwarz.

And because it’s crucial that the conversations begun at school continue at home, the DEI office is offering parent training sessions throughout the year. Close to 100 parents have already signed on for the training, which requires a commitment of attending three two-hour sessions.

The actions are concrete, but the overarching goal, in some ways, is less tangible. Henderson puts it this way: “I would like to feel, by the end of the year, a sense that DEI has moved from the periphery closer to the center of what we’re doing as an institution. So that any decision we make, we first view it through a DEI lens.”

Reflecting again on her first year at Rivers, Archibald notes that the confluence of events provided a chance for the school to show what it’s really made of. “For me, this year has demonstrated what Rivers is willing to do and how willing it is to make things happen,” she says. “It’s revealed what I see as a signature of Rivers—a kind of entrepreneurial spirit.” � R

A “Critical Conversations” event in October updated alumni on our DEI work. Top, from left: Head of School Ned Parsons P’17, DEI Director Ava Archibald, chair of enrollment management, marketing, and diversity committee Louise Cummings ’98. Middle, from left: Talia Davis ’21, Upper School Dean of Faculty Leslie Fraser P’10, ’14, Middle School humanities teacher and Director of MS Curriculum Melissa Dolan ’98. Bottom, from left: Head of Middle School John Bower, trustee Jemea Goso ’04

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Robert Cleverdon ’40

Rivers Has Got Talent . . . and a showcase for it

W

hat’s fun, tuneful, a bit unpredictable, and firmly situated in the no-judgment zone?

If you’re a member of the Rivers community, you probably know the answer: The Coffeehouse, which takes place three times a year on campus. In the cozy confines of the Black Box Theater, experienced performers and neophytes alike take to the stage to share their talents with peers, faculty members, and family. It’s a wildly popular venue for music, comedy, spoken-word artistry—and risk-taking.

That last quality is, to many, what makes the Coffeehouse a uniquely Rivers institution. “Without a doubt it’s the event I look forward to most every year,” says John Bower, head of the Middle School. “It’s an incredibly safe space for students and faculty, one where you leave your judgment at the door.”

Cleverdon was awarded the French Legion Medal of Honor in July.

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History teacher Ben Leeming, a Coffeehouse mainstay who has frequently performed with some or all of his four children (Asher ’17, Caleb ’19, Maggie ’21, and Rinny ’23), seconds that sentiment and takes it a step further. “It’s 100 percent a result of the culture we have developed at Rivers, where you get that kind of support for all the kids…. I don’t think at every school you’d get that support, and it says a lot about Rivers,” says Leeming.

French and drama teacher Julia Auster-Hogan, who serves as advisor to the student-run Coffeehouse, adds, “The boom of the cheers that happens after every performance is amazing, and it’s not fake. It’s not about how well you do; it’s about how brave you are.”

So beloved is the Coffeehouse—overflow crowds often spill out into Haff Gym—that it may be surprising to learn it’s only been around since 2017 in its current incarnation, although its

roots stretch back further. That was the year three members of the Class of ’17—Holly Glass, Tony Milne, and Cauley Reardon—took it on as a senior project.

The three revived and amplified a custom that had fallen by the wayside. “When I started at Rivers,” says Bower, who also directs the Middle School chorus, “the Coffeehouse consisted of maybe five or seven students who’d gather in the library, set up a keyboard, play for each other, and have pizza. That sort of fizzled out.”

When Bower mentioned the old Coffeehouse to Glass, Milne, and Reardon, they were intrigued. “We never got to experience it, and we thought it would be kind of cool,” says Glass, now a student at Connecticut College. The three had participated in Broadway Night—an evening when chorus students choose to perform show tunes or pop songs as soloists or in small groups—but, says Glass, “We were looking for a different outlet.

We thought there must be so many people who would perform if it wasn’t related to chorus, without that added pressure.”

They began to form a vision of what a reimagined Coffeehouse might look like. They knew they wanted it to be inclusive.

“We didn’t reject any kind of performance or any performers.

People could do whatever they wanted, and we didn’t limit it to music,” says Milne, now a student at Dartmouth College. And they were seeking a certain sort of ambience. “It was important not to do it during school hours. It just felt more special to have it at night—it made it feel like a real performance,” says Reardon, a student at Davidson College. And the intimate Black Box Theater was the perfect venue for an undertaking that was envisioned as less Weston, more Greenwich Village circa 1965.

Bower served as the group’s advisor, but the students took the lead, organizing every aspect of the performance from lighting to seating to sound systems to refreshments. It was eye-opening, says Glass. “We didn’t realize how much planning goes into any Rivers event, even a small one,” she says.

But perhaps more important than overseeing the myriad details of creating a performance venue, the three set the safe, inclusive tone that’s still the defining quality of the Coffeehouse.

“For us,” says Milne, “it was just really important that people in the community saw this as a judgment-free place to show off their music in a laid-back environment.”

Milne, Glass, and Reardon really didn’t know what to expect when the doors finally opened, but that first effort ended up succeeding beyond their wildest hopes. “I remember Mr. Parsons reaching out and saying how impressed he was,” says Reardon.

“That’s when we started thinking, oh, this could become something that stays on at Rivers, beyond us.” Some underclassmen had shown an interest in carrying it forward, and from that point, the Coffeehouse became an ongoing endeavor. Today,

it’s an established club with student leadership consisting of several seniors who apply for the position, after showing involvement and interest as underclassmen. But it’s still student run, still informal, and still, first and foremost, inclusive.

To that end, the Coffeehouse has never had an audition process. Acts are pre-screened by the student organizers, but only so that they can plan a set list and pace the evening. The upshot is that while some acts are polished and professional, others are a bit rougher. No matter. All garner cheers and authentic applause.

Ella Caggiano ’19, who served as one of the Coffeehouse leaders during her senior year, recalls the time that “a bunch of boys on the hockey team came out and sang a song. Everyone went crazy. Even if they weren’t the best, they put themselves out there.”

That element of surprise is also one of the endeavor’s charms. Bower says that on more than one occasion, he’s had the pleasure of seeing a shy, reserved student take to the stage.

“And they just get up there and blow you away. You say, ‘I never knew that person had that talent.’”

This spring, the Coffeehouse—like so much else—was forced to go online. It might seem daunting to re-create the intimate, supportive atmosphere through a Zoom call, let alone coordinate the logistics of performing, but the effort was surprisingly successful. Joel Manasseh ’20 was one of the student organizers, as well as a stalwart performer, and he says, “It was really difficult, but in the end, it all came together really well. I was proud of how it went.” There was a bit of a silver lining; without the capacity limits of the Black Box theatre, many more people than usual were able to attend. And an online coffeehouse meant that some alumni, hunkered down at home, were able to perform. The entire Leeming family got in on the act, and Manasseh was joined by brother Michael ’19 and Joe Nedder ’18.

This fall, back on campus, the Coffeehouse was held under a tent, with attendees keeping a safe distance from one another.

Everyone, it seems, can point to a favorite coffeehouse moment, from seeing unexpected talent revealed to hearing polished performers to cheering on underdogs. But to Leeming, it’s not just about sharing an evening of music and camaraderie. “For me, the coffeehouse transcends just a fun or entertaining moment in the Rivers calendar. I think of it as a critically important space for kids who may not get the spotlight elsewhere at Rivers, and a critically important programmatic offering at Rivers—not just a frill,” he says.

What’s more, says Leeming, “If you were a prospective parent or student, and you wanted in an hour to understand what Rivers is like, you would go to the coffeehouse. In an ideal sense, it represents the best of Rivers.” � R fall 2020

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L i v e fr o m W est o n

Rivers Reopens

By Jane Dornbusch

A large tent provided space for music rehearsals and socially distanced lunches.

T

om Bourdeau may be a member of Rivers’s football coaching staff, but when describing the efforts behind the school’s reopening in the fall, the metaphor he reaches for is not sports-based.

“We’re a big fleet,” says the assistant director of finance and operations, “and we need the fleet to go in the same direction.”

At the same time, he says, “The commanders of each ship need to manage independently.” And that, he says, took “a lot of collaboration, with countless hours of meetings and discussions.”

That’s certainly no exaggeration, as the planning behind the September in-person opening required an estimated 15,088 person hours (see graphic, page 25).

What did it take to put Rivers in a position to offer on-campus instruction to all of its students, and to continue to do so well

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into the fall season? (As of this writing, students and faculty were still on campus.) In short, it required cooperation, collaboration, capital investment—and, perhaps most of all, the will to make it happen.

Head of School Ned Parsons P’17 emphasizes that what was truly paramount was the health and safety of our community.

“We would never have reopened if we didn’t think it was safe,” says Parsons. That said, he adds, “It was a goal to get here live and in person. The reason is that our brand of working with children is to know them deeply and well.” Spring, he admits, with its abrupt pivot to remote learning, was challenging. “It was uncomfortable, and we missed the students. If we could get back to live classes, that was preferable, that was our goal.

But it was never a given that we would be able to do that.”

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire metropolitan area to reopen a school. The executive committee of the board of trustees oversees a COVID task force that includes medical and public health professionals. A committee on reopening (COR) reported to the task force all summer, and the COR was further divided into several sub-committees, covering such aspects of reopening as academic life, student life, campus infrastructure, health and safety, athletics, and performing arts. Finally, an outside consulting firm, Environmental Health & Engineering (EHE), was brought in to offer guidance on the technical aspects of compliance with state and local guidelines, as well as to help Rivers meet its own particular standards for reopening and for safe operations during the year.

Opening Our Doors Here’s a quick look at the numbers behind reopening school.

Your support keeps us nimble.

ESTIMATED costs AS of October 1, 2020:

$2 Million

Facilities Teaching & Learning 5 additional positions

2 new full-time employees 3 Heated Tents

to facilitate in-person and remote learning

$500,000+ invested

50 voiceactivated OWL Pro video conferencing systems

326 new tables and desks

in HVAC improvements, cleaning, sanitation, and ventilation

1 new Health Center to include 3 isolation rooms and 3X the amount of diagnostic space

100% of faculty participated in teacher training for a total of more than

5,700 hours

Planning 15,088 person hours spent addressing COVID-19 challenges

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Will Wade, a principal consultant at EHE who worked closely with Rivers, says, “There is guidance from the CDC and DESE (the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) that gets you 70 percent of the way there, but it’s the other 30 percent where you have to think about your organization and how it’s going to work for your student life.” In early meetings with Parsons, says Wade, he was told that student-faculty relationships are key to the Rivers approach, and with that in mind, EHE prioritized such experiences as advisory and the logistics of moving students around campus throughout the day.

The key to safety, says Wade, is having “multiple controls.

It’s a concept in occupational and public health.” At a place like Rivers, controls might include social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, increased ventilation and filtration of indoor air, and screening people to make sure no one is coming to campus while sick. The hope, he explains, is that “all those controls act in concert with one another to reduce the risk of a positive case, and if there is a positive case, to reduce the risk of spread…. If one layer of control is compromised, others are in place.”

Clearly, for the controls to work, compliance is critical.

As the committees moved ahead in their work, the topic of changing student (and faculty) behavior came to the fore. Dr. Evan Berg P’20, an attending physician in emergency medicine, serves on the COVID task force, and he understands better than most the challenge of changing behaviors. Working in the emergency department of a large city hospital when the COVID outbreak began, he observed that initially, it was difficult to get everyone on board with wearing a mask at all times.

“There was a lot of messaging—repetitive messaging,” says Berg. “I look back on that and say wow, I can’t imagine working

Classrooms were arranged to maximize distancing.

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in an emergency department where everyone’s not wearing masks now. That took time—and that’s with a group of people in the business of healthcare.”

As the school year got underway, Berg predicted that Rivers, too, would need to continuously emphasize the need for compliance, at least initially. “It’s just the repetition of doing it again and again,” he says. “I think of mask use and hand-washing as equivalent to putting on a seatbelt and adjusting the mirrors when you get in the car. It should be a fundamental habit.” To help make those behaviors second nature, pre-opening grade-level orientations were extended, and students were repeatedly instructed on the importance of compliance.

Behavior would be key, but so would infrastructure. Two classrooms were renovated; many had their ventilations systems upgraded. “In all of our spaces, we have improved ventilation, whether through increased filtration, increased air exchanges, or adding HEPA-filtered air purifiers,” says Bourdeau. Getting the work completed in time for the opening of school was no easy feat, and Bourdeau credits facilities director Ben McGovern and his team for pulling it off. “It’s a testament to Ben and the relationships he has formed with contractors,” says Bourdeau.

New furniture was purchased and placed in classrooms to optimize distancing; students and faculty were admonished not to move furniture, lest occupants end up too close together.

Kraft Dining Hall and the servery were reconfigured to allow students to pass through the lunch lines quickly and safely, taking their food to designated indoor and outdoor dining spots on campus where seats were placed at least six feet apart. More than 100 hand-sanitizer stations have been deployed across campus, and personal protection equipment including Rivers masks has been provided for students and employees.

Students stayed masked and followed distancing protocols.

Dalton was part of a team charged with redesigning the academic schedule for the year—a complex game of three- dimensional chess that required factoring in not only the possibility of in-person, remote, or hybrid learning but also such requirements as proper distancing, extra time between classes, and, for the sake of everyone’s sanity, keeping things as simple and consistent as possible.

“Scheduling is a process of prioritizing different demands,” says Dalton. “The basic reality is that you need a room, a teacher, and the correct students to show up.” But beyond that, Dalton says, the decision was made not to change or reduce Rivers’s course selection or levels this year. “Students have the same course selections they do in a non-COVID year,” he says. “There may be some constraints in delivery, but we wanted kids to have all the same choices they have in nonimpacted years.”

Faculty training wasn’t simply a matter of learning Zoom etiquette and mastering the necessary technologies. Teachers were brought up to speed on using the OWLs and on Canvas, the school’s new learning management system that better supports remote and hybrid learning, should that become necessary. John Adams, the director of academic technologies at Rivers, did yeoman’s work in teaching faculty the ropes (see page 9 for more on his efforts). But, says Dalton, the pandemic has also necessitated a fresh look at course content itself. “You have to think, ‘What am I trying to do in this class and how can I do it?’” says Dalton. “It forces you to go back to examine the key outcomes. It’s actually really exciting, because it’s an opportunity to look at classes through a new lens. It’s always easiest just to do what you did last year, but this situation forces us not to do that. We can’t do what’s easiest, because that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Dalton isn’t the only one who has found opportunity in the midst of crisis. For all the extra work it entailed, Bourdeau calls readying the school for reopening “one of the best professional experiences I’ve had to go through.

I’m gaining an understanding of how everything works. This is total immersion.”

That immersion, by Bourdeau and countless others, has paid tremendous dividends. Despite some constraints, Rivers students have been able to enjoy a fall semester that, while different from years past, retains a fundamental sense of normality.

And it turns out there is a sports metaphor that’s apt for this situation.

“There is no playbook for this pandemic,” says Bourdeau. “We’re still creating a new playbook, and I’m sure we’re going to be adding new Tables and chairs were strategically placed, and moving them was strictly forbidden. plays as the year progresses.” � R

The Rivers campus has some inherent qualities that made it possible to adapt to COVID guidelines—namely, an abundance of indoor and outdoor space. “It’s a challenge for all organi- zations,” says consultant Wade, who has guided a number of schools through the pandemic. “But having significant auxiliary spaces was an advantage for Rivers. That spacing drives everything.” Repurposing parts of Haffenreffer, Haynes, and MacDowell allowed some flexibility; Haynes is the site of a new health center with three isolation rooms and increased diagnostic space. A large tent on the main campus and a smaller one behind Bradley Hall provide open-air options for lunch, meetings, and music rehearsals.

Not to be underestimated is the role of The Revers Center.

Without that building, which opened last January, “We would not have been able to do it,” says Bourdeau. “Just having that square footage was crucial. Take that out of the equation, we wouldn’t have been able to open.”

Because, as Parsons noted, opening in person was never a given, the school had to prepare for several contingencies.

Plans were put in place for in-person learning, fully remote learning, and a hybrid model that combined the two. Faculty members spent the summer mastering best practices for remote learning. Voice-activated OWL Pro videoconferencing systems were installed in every classroom, creating an interactive learning experience for students who may be attending remotely.

“It’s amazing how much time our faculty put in,” says Chris Dalton, assistant dean of faculty. “No one had anything like a normal summer.” Says Parsons, “Our faculty has been phenomenal. Everyone just stepped in and did it. The fact that this faculty was willing to do this is a testament to who they are.”

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On May 26, the Class of 2020 was invited to campus for a drive-through parade. They cheered and clapped as they visited campus and saw one another for the first time since March.

Congratulations, Senior spring wasn’t quite the same in the COVID era.

Then again, it wasn’t entirely different, either. Though last year’s crop of seniors had to face the disappointment of missing certain signal events, the school worked hard to make it a memorable season nonetheless. Senior week festivities such as the senior banquet and the final Red and White competition went virtual, but even in this era of social distancing, we found ways to bring the class together safely and celebrate their achievements.

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The school hired a photographer in early June to take family and individual portraits of each graduating senior, formal or informal as the mood struck . Some chose the occasion to perform a solo version of the traditional graduation cap toss. fa fallll 22002200

Intrepid Head of School Ned Parsons drove to every senior’s home in a specially decorated van, so that he could personally hand students their graduation caps and gowns.

Class of 2020 A live commencement was touch-and-go, as Rivers kept an eye on state guidelines—and the weather. On June 6, which was the original date of graduation, the school announced it would hold an in-person ceremony on July 21. Commencement took place under clear blue skies on the turf field in front of Revers, where there was plenty of room to spread out and stay safe.

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postcard from campus

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School in the age of COVID: Throughout the fall, students kept their distance, and a tent provided flexible outdoor space.

Photo by Adam Richins

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alumni profile

Le nn y B au t i sta ’ 0 9

Reshaping School Discipline

I

n recent years, school discipline has taken a turn away from punitive justice and toward restorative justice—and Lenny Bautista ’09 fully supports the shift. He explains the difference this way: “It’s less about what you did and more about who you hurt.”

Bautista has been on the front lines of the evolution in discipline, as lower school dean of students at Boston Collegiate Charter School in Dorchester. Now in his fourth year in the position, Bautista is in charge of school culture and discipline. “I oversee running assemblies and any cultural events that go on,” he says.

“And, of course, I’m in charge of suspensions and detentions.” The school’s newly instituted code of conduct, he says, is “more about communication and community building, and hopefully that will lead to fewer suspensions.”

Under the new approach, he says, “We’ll meet with whoever you impacted and try to repair the damage that was done.” Traditionalists might resist, but Bautista says, “I’m all for it. This way we get to the root of the problem, instead of just sending a disruptive kid to detention.”

Bautista enjoys the varied tasks each day brings and the distinctly diverse culture of the school, whose mission is to see that every graduate is accepted to college. “We are unique in Boston because we are almost 50 percent white and 50 percent Black and Latino. Kids come here from all over Boston, with many different cultures and views. It allows us to speak about things that others might not experience until a later age.”

Bautista’s experiences at Rivers may have paved the way for those conversations. When he arrived at Rivers, as a ninth grader, he underwent a bit

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of a “culture shock,” he says. He had attended Nativity Prep, in Jamaica Plain, which serves low-income Boston families; one of his teachers was a Rivers graduate who took him on a tour of the school when he was pondering his high school options.

“The only time I had been around that many white people was when we played private schools in basketball,” says Bautista, who is Dominican.

“But everyone was very welcoming.”

As his choices narrowed to Rivers and a Catholic school, Bautista had a lunchtime meeting with his coaches and teachers, who made their preference clear. “They said, ‘There’s no way we’re letting you go anywhere but Rivers.’ So I shrugged and said, ‘I guess I’m going to Rivers.’”

The choice proved fortunate— after an adjustment period. “The first couple of weeks, I remember coming home and telling my mom, ‘I don’t think this is for me.’ She said give it a year. And after a year, I fell in love with Rivers and said this is where I have to be.”

After Rivers, at Trinity College, Bautista thought he might major in

economics. “After one econ class,” he recounts, “I knew it wasn’t for me.”

Instead, he found his way into social services; a stint working with the children of incarcerated women was especially powerful. He left college thinking he’d become a social worker and began a master’s degree in the field, but the fit wasn’t quite right.

Bautista took a job at a Somerville school, working with special-needs students, and that’s when it clicked: Education felt like the right setting and, after he’d held a few different positions at different schools, school culture and discipline felt like the right lens. He earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies at Boston University and joined Boston Collegiate Charter School in 2017.

This year, of course, looks very different from other school years.

As of mid-October, Bautista said there was no set date for an in-person return. Typically, he’ll work at camps and academic programs over the summer months, but with those programs on hiatus over the past summer, he says, “This is the longest I’ve gone without having students.

It’s a long period of time, and the reason I chose this career is that I like having a student-facing role.”

It may be delayed, but Bautista is eagerly awaiting the day he can return to the work he loves: supporting students by uncovering the root causes of behavior issues. “We’re finding out if they’re having a bad day, or just need something like a pencil. Sometimes kids will act out just because they don’t want to ask for a pencil,” he says. “Instead of detention, the conversation starts with ‘What do you need? How can I help you?’” — JD

alumni profile

M a r i ssa ( m o s k owit z) Golds t e in ’ 0 3

A Pandemic Pivot

O

ver the past several months, untold numbers of masks designed to stem the spread of illness have been manufactured and sold. More than two million of them were made by Marissa Goldstein’s startup, Rafi Nova.

Goldstein didn’t set out to be a mask-maker—who did?—but her long history of entrepreneurship and creative risk-taking allowed her to pivot quickly when the pandemic broke. She and her husband, Adam, had launched Rafi Nova in February 2020 as a line of bags and accessories made from upcycled traditional textiles produced by women in Vietnam.

A month later, the U.S. was in shutdown mode, and, says Goldstein, “No one was buying a $230 travel backpack.”

She needed to regroup, and quickly.

But to understand what happened next, it’s important to know some background. Goldstein says she has “always had the travel bug.” She took a gap year in Israel after high school, along with her then boyfriend, now husband; later, the couple spent six months traveling the world before Goldstein started grad school.

That’s a lot of miles, to be sure, but Goldstein’s taste for travel opened the door to a much more extreme adventure: Pre-pandemic, the Goldsteins spent half their time in the U.S. and half in Vietnam, with their four children under the age of 5.

Parents in the reading audience will be forgiven for gasping in shock.

But the intrepid Goldstein has been traveling with her two sets of twins nearly since day one, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. “We brought our first set of twins to Vietnam the day after their first birthday, and they’d traveled to 20 countries

Goldstein with her family in Vietnam.

before they were potty trained,” she says.

Goldstein and her husband first visited Vietnam on the aforementioned world-wide jaunt. They fell in love with the country (“Not as touristy as Thailand, but not as undeveloped as Myanmar”) and its potential as a hub for manufacturing. “It was ripe for innovation. The middle class was rising, and there was a strong, committed workforce. We loved it from a business standpoint, but we also loved the culture, the people, the weather, the food,” says Goldstein.

Goldstein says she’s always been a creative risk-taker with an interest in business. “Rivers gave me the tools to explore entrepreneurial endeavors,” she says. But after post-college stints in the PR and insurance industries, Goldstein decided that she needed a more thorough grounding in business basics. She earned an MBA at Babson College, gaining the confidence and contacts she’d need.

It was toward the end of her time at Babson that she convinced her husband, who was in manufacturing, to start their first business, Timroon.

“The idea was to help diversify manufacturing, to go beyond China,” says Goldstein. Timroon connects American companies with Vietnamese manufacturers; the Goldsteins built a network of suppliers in Vietnam and embarked on a lifestyle that brought them to Vietnam for half the year.

The work was satisfying, and living

in Vietnam was a “fairytale existence,” she says, but Goldstein had another goal in mind. “We wanted to start our own brand,” she says, and thus was born Rafi Nova. Six months’ hard work went into designing, manufacturing, and marketing the line, and when the coronavirus upended their plans, Goldstein was deeply disappointed. The family had moved back to the U.S. as the virus hit Asia, and after a couple weeks holed up at home, she says, “We needed to figure out something. We said, ‘Let’s put our resources to good use.’ In Vietnam, we were used to wearing masks, and we knew what a good mask consisted of. We had great relationships with manufacturers in Vietnam. So a lightbulb went off: Let’s make masks.”

The venture was an immediate success, racking up $25,000 in sales in its first 24 hours. Goldstein has donated more than 50,000 masks to schools and nonprofits and has hired 25 people. Over the summer, she opened a storefront in Needham.

“Take calculated risks—that’s my motto,” says Goldstein, and she credits Rivers with some of her willingness to do that. “Rivers was a really nurturing environment that gave me confidence in a lot of areas.”

That confidence has continued to inform her life, her work, and, perhaps most important, her attitude. “Every challenge is an opportunity,” she says.

“You can’t stop innovating and moving forward.” — JD

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alumni profile

John S t i m pso n ’ 8 8

The Art of Persuasion

N

o one is more surprised about where John Stimpson ’88 ended up than Stimpson himself. “If you had asked me, back in college, whether I’d ever go to business school, I would have laughed,” says Stimpson, who serves as a director of business development for Aetos Capital, which manages portfolios of hedge funds for institutional investors.

After all, he’d given business the old college try—in college. “I went to Villanova as a business major, but I ditched the program after the first semester. I hated it. So I switched to liberal arts and found my calling.”

Stimpson had his eye on something far loftier than business: “I wanted to be part of something much larger than myself, to be involved in issues that affect lots of people.” The obvious answer for the political science major? Politics.

Stimpson’s next-door neighbor, in his hometown of Wellesley, was campaign treasurer for then state representative Robert Marsh. That helped Stimpson land an internship in Marsh’s office at the State House during the summer after his junior year in college, and he was immediately smitten with the world of politics.

Upon graduation, he drove down to Washington, hoping to land a position.

“This was pre-Internet,” notes Stimpson. “I just sent out resumes and didn’t have a lot of success.” By that time, though, Marsh had gone to work for then secretary of transportation Andrew Card, under President George H.W. Bush, and he connected Stimpson with a White House internship program in the president’s speechwriting office.

The unpaid position, says Stimpson, was a dream come true—but a shortlived one. He started in August of 34

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1992, but after Bill Clinton became president, Stimpson was out of a job.

Discouraged, he headed back to Massachusetts—an unlikely destination, perhaps, for someone aspiring to work in Republican political circles.

But it eventually led to what Stimpson calls “the best job I’ve ever had.” A stint as a legislative analyst in the Republican Leader’s Office of the Massachusetts House of Representatives opened the door to becoming an aide to Governor Bill Weld. Even now, Stimpson marvels at his good fortune: “I went from being a starving intern, bartending at night to make ends meet, to—13 months later— working for the governor.”

And what a governor he was.

Weld was a leading light among a now nearly extinct breed: moderate Republicans. Stimpson says, “I spent four years attached to Weld’s hip.

Everywhere he went, I went. I think I spent more time with him than his family did.” Stimpson laments the loss of moderate voices in both parties and the concomitant rise in partisanship. He says, “Weld was the model for working across party lines.

He didn’t care who got the credit. I learned so much from him. He came in during the state’s fiscal crisis and

really did a remarkable job; it was a turnaround effort suitable for a case study in business school.”

Soon, he’d find out about such case studies firsthand. After four years with the governor, he made an abrupt pivot and enrolled at Columbia Business School. Business made sense to him as a place to continue pursuing an impactful life. “I was ready to do something entirely dif- ferent and thought business school would help bridge the transition.”

And the material that had seemed so dull when he was in college suddenly came alive. “Timing had everything to do with it,” he acknowledges.

Stimpson keeps a hand in politics by writing op-ed pieces. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, political websites The Hill and The Huffington Post, and elsewhere. Rivers, he says, is where he honed his writing skills, particularly in classes taught by the legendary Jack Jarzavek. Stimpson, whose father, Robert, graduated from Rivers in ’51, struggled a bit after arriving in eighth grade. “I was last in my class,” he recalls. His mother had passed away not long before, and, he says, “I was going through a difficult time.” But he returned for ninth grade ready to turn things around. “Rivers never gave up on me,” he says. “I got the ‘Improvement in Scholarship’ prize that year, which meant the world to me.” And he stays connected and close to friends he made at Rivers.

As for his current career, in sales, Stimpson says it simply represents a logical progression from politics.

“There is no better breeding ground for success in sales than politics,” he says. “Trying to persuade and convince—that’s what politics is all about.” —JD

news from our inbox

Julia Robinson ’02 writes, “Sophia Elizabeth Robinson was born July 16, 2020.

She is the sweetest, happiest baby, and Charlie loves his new role as big brother!”

Michael Crowley ’02’s children, Waverly, Triggs, and August.

Michael Crowley ’02 emailed: “On June 18 we welcomed Kevin ‘Triggs’ Crowley into our family, weighing 8 lb., 13 oz., and measuring 20.5 inches long. Triggs is proudly named after his grandfathers, Kevin Toomey and Kevin Crowley, his late great uncle Kevin McCarthy, and his late great grandmother Louise Triggs Crowley. We couldn’t be happier and feel very blessed.” Michael sent along a picture of baby Triggs with big sisters Waverly and August.

Julia Robinson ’02 with daughter Sophia.

Bradford Belin ’03 emailed an update: “I am currently in my third year serving as the history/social studies department chair and teaching eighth grade social studies at Berwick Academy in Maine.

After seven years in Newton, my wife, three children (Maddie, 7, Hannah, 4½, and Connor, 2) and I are enjoying full-time life on the seacoast in Kennebunk, Maine.”

with Zoe, and that’s Ali on the right, with Sadie.”

Ainsley Mallows ’06 is a Montessori preschool teacher in NYC and is busy trying to adapt to online learning for 3- and 4-year-olds during these uncertain times. She attributes her career choice to all the amazing teachers that helped her grow while at Rivers.

Rachel Hunter-Goldman ’08 married Julius Goldman-Von Unruh on Nantucket on June 26 in the backyard of Julius’s family’s house on the island. Rachel writes, “We were always planning to have a small family ceremony this June with a larger celebration to happen the following year. In light of COVID we opted for a virtual elopement in place of the small family ceremony and to ditch the larger wedding altogether, given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and that Julius’s family would have to travel from Europe. A friend officiated, and our neighbors took pictures. There were no guests. It was just our parents, sisters, and grandmothers, who watched remotely over zoom.”

Jenny Grabler Golden ’04 sent along a photo and note: “We spent a great week on the Cape with my sister, Ali Grabler Stein ’01, and our babies. I’m on the left

Dylan Grant Feintisch, son of Melanie Platten ’02.

Melanie Platten ’02 shared this update: “Dylan Grant Feintisch was born March 23, 2020.”

Jenny Grabler Golden ’04 with Zoe and Ali Grabler Stein ’01 with Sadie.

Rachel Hunter-Goldman ’08 and Julius GoldmanVon Unruh at their June 26 wedding.

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news from our inbox

Stephanie McCartney ’08 married Jay Petricone on March 14, 2020. Stephanie writes, “We were lucky enough to be able to have our wedding earlier this year, surrounded by family and friends.

Seven of my bridesmaids were close friends from Rivers!”

Kim Stevenson Tutaj ’09 sent this update along: “On July 24, 2020, I married my best friend Mark Tutaj. It was a small social-distancing traditional Catholic wedding, with a small social distancing reception at my parent’s house. Even with the social distancing, we were still able to have the important first dance, father-daughter, and mother-son dances.

It was a wonderful piece of light and pure joy during this time of the pandemic.”

Adam Lowenstein ’10 writes, “I graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in May. I then began my two-year pediatric dental residency, also at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.”

Stephanie McCartney’s wedding had a large Rivers contingent. From left, Michelle Davis ’08, Rachel Hunter-Goldman ’08, Julia (Bateman) Jennings ’08, Emily Greiff ’08, bride Stephanie McCartney ’08, groom Jay Petricone, Joe McCartney ’15, Jaclyn McCartney, Carolyn Fishman ’08, Lindsay Bloom ’08, and Molly Troy ’08.

As part of the prestigious Ceremonial Unit with the United States Capitol Police, Officer Winston Pingeon ’12 was assigned to guard Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as she became the first woman to lie in state in the United States Capitol. Winston writes, “It was a privilege to serve in this capacity, honoring the amazing and dedicated public servant that Justice Ginsburg was.” In addition to his ceremonial duties, Winston has worked different assignments on Capitol Hill, includ- ing being selected as a field training officer and serving as part of the Civil Disturbance Unit, which handles riots and large-scale mass-arrest demonstrations.

Mark Tutaj and Kim Stevenson Tutaj ’09 at their July wedding.

U.S. Capitol Police Officer Winston Pingeon ’12 stood guard over Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she lay in state in the capitol.

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In Memoriam Walter “Huck” Keaney ’48, October 18, 2020 Stephen S. Alpert ’56, March 4, 2020 Steven E. Hobbs ’65, April 6, 2020 Richard B. Cleaveland ’66, May 31, 2020 Ian T. Egbert ’07, April 25, 2020 Judy Weiner, former faculty member, October 31, 2020

I n Me m o r i a m — A p ril 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

Vincent M. Love ’50

T

he Rivers community was saddened by the death in April of Vincent M. Love ’50, an alumnus who stayed connected to Rivers over many years and saw the school evolve dramatically during that time.

Vin and brother Art Love ’52 were born in New Rochelle, N.Y., but the family relocated to Wellesley when the boys were young. Their home was only a stone’s throw from the present-day Rivers campus—but that was mere coincidence, as they attended the school’s former campus, in Chestnut Hill. “My parents were very much interested in private education,” says Art, and Rivers, with its “wonderful faculty,” fit the bill.

After Rivers, Vin attended Brown University, majoring in American Civilization, and then went on to the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Following two years of service in the U.S. Army, he began his career at United States Lines in New York, working to oversee the logistics of Atlantic crossings by ocean liner—a fitting choice, perhaps, for a man who had a lifelong interest in the Titanic disaster. In fact, says Art, Vin’s Titanic expertise was so renowned and respected that he served as a consultant for the 1953 film Titanic.

He also collected posters and memorabilia from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and was an opera buff. After U.S. Lines folded, he worked for Flagship Cruises before

Head of School Ned Parsons visited Vin Love in New York City in 2016.

taking a position as vice president of the Mayflower Hotel. In retirement, he volunteered as a docent at the South Street Seaport Museum.

Vin, says his brother, made lifelong friends at Rivers and remained in touch with every head of school from Clarence Allen through Ned Parsons. Although living in New York limited his hands-on involvement with Rivers, Vin was a strong supporter and a member of the Nonesuch Society. “Vincent was a very intelligent man,” says Art. “And he loved education.”

Besides his brother, Vincent Love is survived by his sister-in-law, Carol, and two nephews.

College Bound Students from the Class of 2020 have matriculated at the following colleges: Amherst College (2) Babson College (4) Becker College Boston College (4) Boston University (3) Bowdoin College Brown University (3) Bryant University (2) Bucknell University Claremont McKenna College Clark University Colby College (4) Colgate University (2) College of the Holy Cross (2)

Columbia University Dartmouth College Duke University (2) Elon University Endicott College George Washington University Hamilton College Harvard College Indiana University Ithaca College Kenyon College Lafayette College Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College

Lynn University Middlebury College (2) New York University (4) Northeastern University (2) Northwestern University (3) Sacred Heart University Santa Clara University Stanford University Stonehill College Swarthmore College Syracuse University Trinity College (2) Tufts University (4) Tulane University (2)

University of Chicago University of Miami University of Michigan University of Southern California (2) University of Toronto University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Villanova University (4) Washington University in St Louis Wesleyan University Williams College Yale University

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student voice

Ja m e so n Man n ix ’ 2 1

The Son Also Rises The scholarly publication Academic Emergency Medicine, the official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, is the place to read up on such topics as, say, cervical spine motion restriction after blunt trauma.

It’s also the place to learn about what it’s like to be the child of an emergency medicine doctor, thanks to a witty, reflective essay contributed

by Jameson Mannix ’21. He wrote the piece last spring and submitted it to the journal; two weeks later, he received an email letting him know it had been accepted for publication.

With permission of Academic Emergency Medicine, we are reprinting Jameson’s essay here.

B

eing the child of an emergency medicine (EM) doctor means a lot of unappetizing dinner conversations. The nauseating remarks are usually casually weaved into common discourse, with a disturbing disregard for the family’s digestion. Perhaps a family member mentions an upcoming dental appointment—an innocent remark—which somehow elicits from my mother the gruesome suctioning noise that occurred when she replaced her patient’s displaced tooth in its socket. The conversations are a great way to make sure no one overeats.

Being the child of an EM doctor means trampolines are out. I am not sure I am even allowed to be friends with someone who has a trampoline.

Being the child of an EM doctor bends time. We never know if Mom is asleep or awake and have been forced to learn the art of swift and silent movements throughout our house. The care and fear with which we approach walking draws com- 38

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parisons to stepping in a field with land mines or a horror movie with an unnamed beast. You never know which board will creak and awaken the beast from its silent slumber.

You do not want to wake the beast.

I take very seriously the reports of scientists who discovered that American black bears react as though they are preparing for a sudden attack on them if they are awakened in their winter dens.

Being the child of an EM doctor means my own injuries and illnesses are judged against a warped yardstick. Sometimes, it feels like I am in a silent competition with my mother’s patients to receive validation of my injured-ness. I am not sure if that’s a competition I want to “win.” At a young age, I would become immensely confused as I watched other mothers seem anxious when their child fell during a sporting event. I thought every parent would use obvious limb deformity as the criteria for concern.

Being the child of an EM doctor means never putting nonfood items (like a bottlecap) in my mouth— not even for a second.

Being the child of a pediatric EM doctor means my mother loves interacting with children. Every time I go out into public with my mother, I pray we do not see a baby, for if we do, all hell breaks loose. She begins to talk aloud in high-pitched tones designed to attract and simultaneously soothe the baby. Soon there- after—my personal least favorite part—she undertakes a conversation with the parents about how special their baby is. I’m sure these are great techniques at work, but they are painful when deployed at Stop & Shop.

Being the child of an EM doctor means I have had some sort of medical procedure performed on me in my kitchen.

Being the child of an EM doctor means I am increasingly concerned about Mom’s safety. I acknowledge the risks my mom faces in dealing with COVID-19, but I also acknowledge that she will do her best to protect herself and her family.

Most of all, being the child of an EM doctor means I feel proud. I understand how much work and dedication it takes to be an EM doctor. I accept the loss of nights, weekends, holidays, and normal life—traded for passion and purpose. I feel a sense of pride and reflected glory talking about my mother and what she does for a living.

Although I have nothing to do with her profession, I am right there with her in her medical journey. When the mother is called to duty, the son also rises. It’s a family job.

Mannix, Jameson (2020). The Son Also Rises. Academic Emergency Medicine: Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, 27(9), 936-936. doi. org/10.1111/acem.14074

C liff W h i t e ’ 7 6

Thinking Outside the Bubble Cliff White ’76 believes in the power of connecting young people to global cultures.

In fact, he believes in it so strongly that he took his own children, now young adults, around the world, to countries as disparate as Myanmar, Peru, Morocco, and more.

“It was the best educational experience my kids ever had,” he says.

Back when he was in high school, says White, this kind of global perspective wasn’t necessarily on the radar, at Rivers or elsewhere. But it is Rivers’s more recent emphasis on a broader approach that has convinced White to include Rivers in his estate plans. “My wife and I support the idea that a high-quality education is the best gift you can give to children,” he says.

By his own admission, White was “a pretty immature child” when he arrived at Rivers in ninth grade. “My parents thought I would be more focused and less distracted” at Rivers, he says, than at the public school he’d been attending. His experience at Rivers was positive, both inside and outside the classroom, and his ties to the school have, if anything, grown stronger since graduation.

White initially thought he’d study engineering in college, but, after dipping a toe in those waters, he discovered that the world of finance was more to his liking. Today, he lives in Providence and serves as institutional consulting director for Graystone Consulting, a business unit of Morgan Stanley.

White has also devoted a significant amount of time to Rivers over the years. He has been a trustee and a member of the Alumni Council, serving as that body’s president for three years. As a trustee, he worked on several committees including finance, development, faculty affairs, and more. The list goes on and on, and it’s perhaps no wonder that White was chosen to receive the Rivers Cup in 1993, given annually by the alumni association to a member of the alumni body who has shown extraordinary dedication to Rivers. He also made lifelong friends at Rivers, and he looks forward to attending his 45th reunion next spring.

White says that Rivers is “dramatically different from when I was there,” and as far as he’s concerned, the changes are all for the good. “There’s more of a world citizen view now, and that’s crucial for our children,” he says. “The more modern Rivers, with its greater emphasis on diversity, and its ways of getting children out of their bubble to have experiences elsewhere, is what drives us most to put Rivers in the planned-giving category.”

The Nonesuch Society was established to recognize the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends who have made provisions for Rivers in their estate plans. Its members have each made a commitment to ensure the continuation of excellence in teaching that is so critical to the education of future generations.

When you include Rivers in your will, you play a significant role in helping future generations of Rivers students.

At the same time, by taking advantage of tax laws that encourage philanthropy, making a bequest to Rivers can significantly reduce estate-tax burdens.

For more information about gifts to Rivers, such as bequests, living trusts, and gifts of life insurance or retirement plans, or if you would like more information about the Nonesuch Society, please contact Tanya Holton, director of advancement operations and stewardship, at t.holton@rivers. org or 339-686-2246.

The Rivers School

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Boston MA Permit No. 10

333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040

Please notify us if your phone number, mailing address, or email address changes so that Rivers can stay in touch with you and your family. Contact Ashley McGlone at 339-686-2239 or a.mcglone@rivers.org.

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Keep calm, wear a mask, and carry on

P h oto b y A da m R ic h i n s