PhilanthroPic imPact

A Successful Campaign Needs a Strong Community

By alison Case

inclusion initiatives, our donors’ generosity has touched each and every member of the Rivers community. Look for our final

Major contributions to the Rivers FutureMakers cam- campaign report this fall, which will highlight many of the paign have rightfully received a great deal of fan- remarkable things our students and faculty have been able to fare. But the truth is, a comprehensive fund-raising do, learn, and achieve thanks to you. campaign like FutureMakers is just as reliant on As a community, our success has been extraordinary, but modest gifts as on multimillion-dollar donations. In fact, 83% we still have work to do. With just a short time left in the Futureof the gifts we’ve received since the launch of the campaign Makers campaign—which officially comes to a close June 30— have been in the amount of $1,000 or less. This campaign we’re making a final push to raise all of the funds needed to truly belongs to all of us, and its complete the full scope of our impact extends to every Rivers our community has demonstrated strategic vision. Renovations to student. Most FutureMakers donations that we can accomplish anything when our original academic buildings and Middle School spaces will have gone to our annual fund— we work together. With just a short time continue this summer, to bring and all such gifts count toward left in the Futuremakers campaign, all of our facilities up to a level of our overall campaign goal. Donors can choose to give to the we’re making a final push to raise the excellence that reflects—and will enhance—the excellence of our areas they are most passionate funds needed to complete the full academic program. We hope you about, such as athletics, arts, scope of our strategic vision. will consider making a first gift, and financial aid. Many also or a final gift, to FutureMakers choose to make unrestricted gifts, which Rivers allocates before the campaign’s close—and help Rivers extend to faculty to its greatest needs. And last year, our needs were indeed and students throughout the school the spaces and resources great, as we worked hard to respond to COVID-19—launching they need to perform at their best. RiversRemote, our online learning program, in March of 2020 The size of your gift doesn’t matter; what’s important is that and safely bringing students back for on-campus learning you give what you can. That’s because your contribution does through the fall and winter. a whole lot more than enable Rivers to meet its ambitious

Our community has demonstrated that we can accomplish goals today; when you give, you inspire others to give, too, anything when we work together. FutureMakers was launched helping to create a dedicated culture of philanthropy that will publicly in late 2018. By fall 2019, our athletes were playing on resonate for future generations. brand-new state-of-the-art turf fields. And by January 2020, FutureMakers was chosen as a theme for the campaign to students and faculty were taking full advantage of the leading- reflect the impactful lives led by our incredible students—at edge Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts, benefiting Rivers, in college, in their careers, and in their communities. from spacious, light-filled classrooms, labs, and makerspaces; A FutureMaker is also what you become when you donate to experimenting with advanced tools and technologies includ- the campaign, in any amount. Your generosity shapes the fuing 3D printers and laser cutters; and forging new creative col- ture of this school, the students educated here, and the world laborations and curricular innovations. Bolstering funding for our students will go on to lead. At Rivers, we are all making the everything from faculty development to diversity, equity, and future, together. � R

FUtUremakerS Better, together

Proud parents and grateful alumni. talented students and stellar educators. Impact donors and participation supporters. together, we are transforming rivers— so our students can transform the world.

Become a Futuremaker today: Donate before the campaign ends June 30! Your gift makes a vital difference and impacts every student.

FUtUremakerS BeLoNgS to aLL oF US

Visit riversfuturemakers.com or call kim Fox, associate director of advancement, at 339-686-2245.

michael handler ’90, P’23, ’26 Finding Inspiration in FutureMakers

For alumnus and parent Michael Handler, Rivers is all about relationships. “My closest friendships were built at Rivers,” he says. “I made great friends in college and afterwards, but even today, the people I’m closest to are from Rivers.”

And it wasn’t just about friends, he says. Teachers and staff members all contributed to the experience of feeling embraced by a supportive community. “The relationships go beyond peers and teachers,” says Handler. He tells of visiting campus last year—nearly 30 years after graduating—and being warmly greeted by facilities department member Kenny Robertson, who asked him if he still played hockey. “Kenny was a friend,” says Handler.

After college at Skidmore, Handler entered the family business, making window treatments for hotels. He sold the firm in 2017 and continues to work in the industry as a consultant.

When the time came to choose a school for his own children, Handler says he wanted the kids to drive the decision, and he and his wife didn’t push Rivers. “We applied to many schools, and they had their choice of different schools. Our last visit was to Rivers, and when we left, they said it ‘felt like home.’ It’s just a very special community.”

Handler’s positive experience at Rivers has kept him engaged, serving on the Alumni Committee and as a founding member of the annual golf tournament, and he’s long made the school a philanthropic priority. But after the launch of FutureMakers, he and his wife decided to bring their giving to a new level, inspired by the campaign’s vision for the school. The 2018 kickoff event

Michael Handler ’90, at right, with wife Marcie and children Evan ’26 and Ellie ’23.

at Gillette Stadium, he says, was “an incredible experience. Seeing where the school was headed was really special for us.”

Handler says he’s been giving back to Rivers for so long, he can’t remember when he started. “I always gave because Rivers had special meaning for me. But now, there’s a tangible vision for the school, and we greatly support it.”

Today, as the campaign winds down, Handler’s children and so many others are able to reap the benefits of all that FutureMakers promised. “The campaign,” says Handler, “convinced us to change the amount we give—because the benefits are so tangible and real for all students.” � R

String players could use Rivera Hall, as long as they stayed a safe distance apart.

the garage, the teNtS, the PaVILIoN, the ShoreS oF NoNeSUCh PoND— all have served as spaces that supported music and theatre during the pandemic. While many schools were forced to cancel or drastically curtail their performing arts programs, at rivers the shows went on and the music never stopped.

That’s not to say it was easy, simple, inexpensive, or flawless. But with a tremendous display of creativity, collaboration, and flexibility—all of it motivated by the sheer love of the stage and concert hall— performing arts during the pandemic has been a success story at Rivers.

“Despite the limitations, we have made it happen,” said Gabriella Sanna, head of the performing arts department. “Students have shown up with masks and PPE and are keeping distant, happy to play just for the joy of continuing to make music. It’s been a success story for the resilience of our teachers, but even more so, the resilience of our students.”

The success story began last spring, when everything shut down without warning. Pandemic pivots took place just about everywhere, and the performing arts were certainly no exception. Faculty members and students agree that those early days, when the school was fully remote, were challenging.

“When we look back at last spring, it was a bit difficult, but somehow we kept kids engaged,” said Sanna. “I think the students and parents were glad we were able to do anything at all.”

Will Randall ’21, a serious music student who plays saxophone and piano, said, “For everyone involved in music, everything came to a standstill. Music just doesn’t work over Zoom, in terms of live playing. Playing together was nonexistent. That was challenging.”

“Last spring, when we were fully remote, we made it work,” in sync. Then there was Soundtrap, which Shaud describes as a says Dan Shaud, Conservatory Program coordinator (and, as of “Google docs for music, where it goes into a visualization of all this coming July 1, co-chair of the performing arts department, the people’s tracks; you’re recording your part in and you can along with Sanna). “But see others recording theirs in, and when you listen back, it’s an “I went into this year knowing that I sensed a real sadness, especially from most ensemble. It’s a good tool, because you’re hearing how you fit in, but you can do it sitting at home.” And Sight Reading Factory, it wouldn’t be a traditional year, committed kids. Playing said Shaud, is an app that helps students develop the crucial but I also knew that I could heavily at home by yourself just skill of reading music quickly, by sight. “We’ve never taught this invest in my students and figure out isn’t the same.” Philippe Crettien, so explicitly before. This is a much more focused tool, and it’s something we will definitely continue to use post-pandemic.” what they need and how they could director of the jazz pro- Shaud and his colleagues spent last summer mastering the grow. They’re having meaningful, gram, says that teaching new tools. if different, experiences.” music via Zoom was an exercise in flexibility. And then came September, and with it the return of live, in-person teaching. Along with the great joy of being together

ToM MaRKs “We adapted our cur- once again, able to play music and (in theory) perform on the riculum to move forward. stage, came a raft of new challenges in making those activities

It changed to be more like a master class, with less focus on COVID safe. In the era of masks, social distancing, and performance. But everyone was still engaged and able to grow hypervigilance, it’s no easy feat to prosecute the performing arts. musically. It was still valuable.” But feats that are not easy have become second nature this Live music and Zoom may be incompatible, but to some year. And fortunately, as drama program director Juliet Bailey extent, technology saved the day. The school invested in a num- put it, “Performing arts people are pretty creative.” Flexible and ber of software programs, platforms, and other innovations that inventive by training and by temperament, the performing arts enabled students to play in sync, enhance their sight-reading faculty strove to come up with solutions, work-arounds, and skills, and enjoy a meaningful music experience. “There are adaptations designed to provide students with a robust experience. a lot of great tools out there that we wouldn’t have explored For Bailey and her colleagues, the obstacles merely presented otherwise,” says Shaud. “We kind of knew about them before an opportunity to take artistic risks and draw the best from this year, but there wasn’t a reason to invest the time in available resources: “Hard as it’s been, we’ve also experienced researching them and learning how to use them.” the thrill of re-creation; we’ve been able to use all that creative Among the technologies that helped support music at Rivers energy to put together something new and think about innovawas Soundjack, a platform that allows remote users to play tive ways to do theatre. I think we all took some pride in doing

The Middle School put on a virtual version of It’s a Wonderful Life.

For the winter musical, students taped dance numbers in Kraft Dining Hall and recorded themselves singing at home; the final result was edited into an entertaining show full of Broadway tunes.

this, in learning we can do amazing things if we pull together in the face of obstacles. It was a beautiful human lesson.”

Said student musician Randall, “Come September, there were lots of solutions and new ways to play, and that was great to see.”

Typically, the school calendar is replete with jazz, classical, and vocal concerts throughout the year, and music lessons and rehearsals are part of the curriculum. The Upper School stages a play in the fall and a musical in the spring; the Middle School puts on a spring drama production. Some students choose to pursue drama in the classroom as well. Dozens of Rivers students who are serious about music are enrolled in the Conservatory Program, which takes their studies to the next level through additional coursework at the Rivers School Conservatory. And for many, a highlight of the performing arts calendar is the student-run coffeehouse, which takes place three times a year.

To an extent that might have been unimaginable when the pandemic first hit, all of these activities took place during the 2020–21 school year—albeit in altered form, with strict limits on rehearsals, performances, and audiences.

This year, because of changes to the sports schedule, the Middle School was able to add a fall show—a “radio play” version of It’s A Wonderful Life. Faculty member Diane DeVore, who served as director, said, “A priority for me was having the students be together in person if that was possible. The goal was to build a chance to connect, and create that sense of unity and community that come through the experience of rehearsing and putting together a performance.”

But with safety guidelines a moving target, and with the always-present possibility of having to pivot to remote learning, DeVore quickly learned that flexibility would have to be the watchword for this production. “What we had hoped to do was livestream from Black Box Theatre, with the students all there. We were able to be sufficiently physically distanced in the Black Box, but as time went on and we were toggling between remote and in-person weeks, we had to make a decision. We needed to start thinking what this would look like if we were remote, and how we could still be together when remote.”

At that point, the production team made the decision to place each cast member in a separate room, on campus if possible but at home if need be. DeVore says that “there was a tremendous amount of pivoting in the last 10 days.” But the show, streamed from Haffenreffer, came off without a hitch, and the radio play format translated perfectly to the Zoom environment.

Best of all, says DeVore, “What we all noticed and felt good about was that, before and after the show, there was that same sense of anticipatory excitement you’d have in a live performance.”

Bailey, who oversaw the Upper School fall play, also found herself drawing on deep reserves of flexibility and creativity. The show consisted of eight short plays, written last year by students from the Class of 2020. “We selected plays that could be done with distancing and in outdoor settings. We got creative about where on campus we could do them—the pavilion, the loading dock,

The tents provided outdoor rehearsal space for the jazz ensembles.

the MacDowell steps—and the idea was that there would be eight With all the challenges, it seems no one is complaining. On settings and people could walk from play to play,” says Bailey. the contrary, says Crettien, “I am positively inspired by realizing But with families unable to come to campus for the live per- that the joy of being able to make music together really overrides formances, that idea was soon revised. Plan B, which involved the fact that it’s a little cold, or that it takes extra time to set up. hiring a videographer, also fell The end result is so precious; everyone is focused on what “Everyone is focused on what through, and then tech week we have, and not what we don’t have. We love music, and we we have, and not what we don’t have. We love music, and ended up being a remote week. In the end, says Bailey, “we did the filming ourselves.” The proare grateful we can do it.” Tom Marks, in his first year teaching at Rivers, has certainly had the opportunity to see how the love of making music tranwe are grateful we can do it.” cess was beset with challenges, scends a bit of discomfort. Leading the Upper and Middle School philippe cReTTien and the upshot, says Bailey, was that “in the end, we didn’t vocal ensembles, he spent the fall and spring in the parking garage under The Revers Center, an outdoor—yet sheltered— have a product we could share.” A failure? Not by a long shot. setting where students can be far enough apart to sing; guide“The process was excellent and the kids were incredible; it really lines for singing are particularly stringent and have so far called out the kids’ best,” says Bailey. “We created something precluded practicing or performing in indoor spaces. really awesome and really beautiful. We couldn’t share it as “For the Upper School, we sing in the garage for about we usually do, but we got to make something amazing.” 30 minutes, then move inside to work on non-singing skills Another staple of the fall arts schedule, the Jazz Festival, like solfège,” says Marks. “But everything is contingent on was also forced to regroup after some early, unplanned remote- the weather.” On the February day we spoke, the midday learning days upended the schedule. Postponed from November temperature was 41 degrees—warm enough for a garage ses7 to December 12 and streamed live on the RSC Facebook page, sion. The Middle School chorus has been more challenging; Crettien calls the festival “a great success.” It took place in one of the group meets first thing in the morning, when it’s often the two winterized tents set up on campus to provide additional too cold for outdoor singing. To keep them making music, outdoor space; the various jazz ensembles have been able to Marks came up with an ingenious solution. “I’ve written a utilize those tents for rehearsals throughout the school year. piece for them they can perform inside, without having to For both jazz and classical instrumentalists, layers of special- sing. They’re using body percussion, stomping and clapping ized PPE have been added to make the experience safe and to and rubbing their hands together. I’ve written a piano part, follow health-department guidelines. Wind and brass instru- and they play on top of it. They enjoy it, and I don’t get the ments have bags and bell covers, with special slits for mouth- impression they feel robbed of the experience of singing. pieces. “And the kids are excellent at wiping their music stands,” They’re appreciative that they are getting to make music, says Shaud. and they are warm.” Playing with PPE “takes some getting used to,” says Randall. “It Marks says he’s confident that even when students aren’t was a little cumbersome at first, but after a while, it’s not too bad.” singing, they are learning. And, he says, he’s been able to

build good connections with students even amid challenging circumstances. “I went into this year knowing that it wouldn’t be a traditional year, but I also knew that I could heavily invest in my students and figure out what they need and how they could grow. They’re having meaningful, if different, experiences.”

For many, the annual winter musical is the most visible performing-arts production of the year. Last year’s memorable staging of Legally Blonde took place just scant weeks before the pandemic hit. It was drama faculty member Zoë Iacovelli’s first Rivers show, and she was not about to let COVID spoil the follow-up. “I refused to have the mentality of ‘everything is shutting down and everything is going to a standstill.’ That’s just not an option in my head,” said Iacovelli. Not only was the 2021 winter musical, Bring Back the Broadway Lights, a tuneful triumph, Iacovelli this year oversaw the creation of a new musical-theatre track in the Conservatory Program (for more on that undertaking, see page 10).

That’s not to say the musical followed the usual script. “I knew creativity was the answer,” said Iacovelli. The cast of 32 made their way through a collection of songs culled from Broadway shows that were forced to close because of the pandemic. Students recorded themselves singing at home; dance routines (safely distanced, of course) were performed and taped in the wide-open space of Kraft Dining Hall. The resulting recordings were seamlessly stitched together by a professional video editor, allowing for tight harmonies, ensemble numbers, and the excitement of performance within the parameters of a recorded production.

Students who were in the cast say it was a special and welcome experience. “Though it was significantly different from previous years, the musical brought so much light into my life and the lives of many others in the Rivers community,” said Hannah Long ’21. “There is no better feeling than the communal rush of openingnight jitters with your cast.When I realized that we wouldn’t have a normal musical production this year, I was unsure if I would experience that same feeling. However, watching the video for the first time together as a cast, I was surrounded by the same love, passion, excitement, and support I feel performing live. It’s a moment I will remember forever.”

Talk to the performing arts faculty, and a word that comes up repeatedly is “teamwork.” Like many of his colleagues, Crettien gives credit to the tech team and others working behind the scenes to support music and theatre. “We have great backup and teamwork,” he says. “The cool thing about Rivers is that everyone is in it together.” DeVore echoes the sentiment: “We’ve all depended on each other before, but this was a reminder of how interdependent we are.”

It’s also been a reminder of the vital role played by the performing arts at Rivers. “We love to make music, and this is how we make music in 2021,” says Crettien. “Our commitment to performing arts and music-making speaks volumes about the culture of the school.” � R

“It’s been a success story for the resilience of our teachers, but even more so, the resilience of our students.” gabRiella sanna

The Upper School fall play was staged in various outdoor locations around campus.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Seniors Take Stock

It’s both an understatement and a cliché to say this year was rife with challenges— but that doesn’t make it any less true.

For graduating seniors, who have spent their final high-school days under COVID conditions, the losses have been very real; they’ve had to forgo rites of passage ranging from senior projects to spring-break travel to prom. But many say they’ve gained something in return: perspective, more free time, a slower pace, a greater appreciation of their good fortune. We asked half a dozen members of the Class of 2021 to share their thoughts about senior year in a pandemic, their time at Rivers, what they’ll miss when they’re gone, and advice they might give a ninth grader on making the most of high school.

Photos by Adam Richins

Elliot Do

Ithink the biggest challenge for me this year was not being able to socialize with my friends. Going through the college process with limited friend support was hard on me. Making an effort to reach out to friends through latenight FaceTime calls or encouraging messages was my way out of what was a challenging period in all of our lives. By showing others that I was thinking about them, I found out that we all are struggling and that we are all in this together as well.

I was shocked by how quickly everyone was able to adapt. I became more thankful for all the daily interactions that I was now missing out on. I believe that my perspective has changed in that I recognize how many things I took for granted.

A silver lining to the pandemic was quality time with my family. Before, because all my siblings and I are active in music, athletics, and other extracurricular activities, we often did not get to eat meals together. Now, due to the pandemic, I see every single family member often—maybe even a little too often.

I will miss the little things at Rivers—the feeling of walking into the science office and watching all the teachers and students laughing and discussing. I will miss the slow-motion moments of playing with the orchestra in Rivera Hall. I will miss the classroom filled with students debating each other and continually pushing each other for a better argument. I will miss the moments of excitement stepping onto the field before lacrosse games. I will miss the little moments when I truly appreciated the growth that happens at Rivers every day.

Rivers has taught me how to value the interconnectedness of what I study. Something I see in my AP Stats class may come up in my AP Government class, or a neuroscience term may pop up in my reading for bioethics. At Rivers, I’ve realized that, just like my studies, making connections, creating memories, and learning lessons all stem from a similar principle. Rivers has taught me to find commonalities with others. Whether it be my passions, identity, or background, I have learned to use them to make friendships and connections that matter.

Emily Stoller

COVID has encouraged me to appreciate the things and people that bring me joy. It has shown me how being physically distanced does not mean having to be socially distanced and taught me how to be creative in how I form bonds with other people. Additionally, COVID has made me examine my role in society and look for ways to give back to my community. I volunteer in the memory support unit at an assisted living facility, but since I was not able to continue during COVID, I found ways to volunteer virtually, putting together montages and remote concerts for the residents. Rivers was prepared when it came to the pandemic. I felt as though we were all able to adapt to remote learning without missing a beat. Not only were teachers well prepared, they also continually checked in to see that our transition was going smoothly. More than that, they made sure that we were doing well mentally, given the craziness happening all around us. My teachers’ and peers’ enthusiasm made remote learning feel as normal as possible.

I would advise a ninth grader to take advantage of all the Rivers community has to offer. Take advantage of extra help to learn how to advocate for yourself and become a stronger, deeper thinker and learner. Take advantage of the 15 minutes at check-in, when you have the opportunity to bond with anyone in your grade. Try things you don’t think you’d like. I never saw myself continuing in art after fulfilling my minimum credits, but through art classes, I discovered my passion for photography.

After I graduate, I will miss the school’s tight-knit community. I love how everyone makes an effort to know each other in and out of the classroom, both teachers and students. Some of the favorite parts of my day have been the conversations with friends at the lunch table or the extra-help meetings with teachers where we ended up talking more about our lives than the actual subject matter. Rivers has taught me how to form connections with others, a lesson that I will carry with me.

Maddie Wambach

Iwanted to make sure that senior year I’d try to experience all the things I love about Rivers. However, COVID presented some challenges—mainly, the loss of the togetherness that has been so constant during my time here. The musical especially represents the mindset I wanted as I approached my senior year: making everybody I interact with feel comfortable and safe, able to talk to me about anything. With this year’s musical unfolding mostly online, connecting with the cast, especially the underclassmen, was difficult. But I still wanted to play the role that certain seniors did for me my freshman year. They made me feel heard and valued. That was my goal for my senior year and the musical. I’m glad to say that, with this year’s show, I have never met a better cast—or rather, family. I care about each and every one of them.

I’m going to miss my relationships with the faculty. Just today, I had a very animated conversation with Ms. Regan-Loomis about an in-class essay I had written. She was more than happy to take time out of her day to hear my ideas. I feel excited to learn each time I step into the safe space that is her classroom. Ms. Argueta is also a staple of Rivers. Many students of color can tell you she is a beacon of safety and warmth. Finally, Ms. Sailer made me feel like I had somebody at school who shared my culture. I now call her “mom,” only half-jokingly; she truly made me feel as though I was one of her own.

Rivers has taught me many things, but one lesson I will always hold close is that I have the power to make a difference. Over the past few years, Rivers has grown tremendously in its diversity work; including student voices has been a large part of that. I’ve been able to tell my story, of entering Rivers in sixth grade as the only student of color in my class and now looking around campus and seeing all sorts of faces smiling at me. Rivers has shown me that growth is the most powerful thing, and that by listening to those around us and using it to act, our community can grow exponentially.

Josh Rocha

No one should value some expectation that everyone should make the most of the pandemic. It was hard for many people, and taking a moment to recognize those hardships is especially important to moving forward. But amidst quarantine and isolation, there were moments when I realized that the pandemic had brought me something more than just pain and fear. Ironically, it brought me time. Whether that be time to teach my younger sister chess or to enjoy small picnics with friends in warmer weather, COVID brought me a moment to breathe and reevaluate. Although overwhelming anxiety interjected itself at times, I was able to find peace of mind among family and friends.

COVID posed its own challenges in terms of education. Socialization is a key aspect of schooling, and school with limited social interaction often felt more like independent study than school. Despite the challenges, Rivers has continued to provide students with a quality education. COVID has also brought an opportunity to rethink how we go about education; the pandemic uncovered an ugly truth about the toll education takes on mental health. However, Rivers has made itself open to addressing this crisis, and I’m glad to be a part of that conversation through Active Minds, Rivers’s club for mental-health awareness.

What I’ll miss most about Rivers is the small moments in the hallways, waving to people and always receiving a warm smile and a quick “How are you?” I love that no matter where I am on campus, there is someone ready to strike up an interesting conversation. There are no cliques if you don’t let yourself get into the mindset that there are; at Rivers, I’ve befriended a variety of different people and learned so much from all of them.

One of the most important things I would say to a ninth grader is don’t let fear of failure deter you from challenging yourself. For so long I held myself back, but it was never fulfilling. The only way to thrive in an academically challenging environment is to be there, to try your best and learn from the failures. Not every subject will be your strong suit, but don’t let that discourage you from taking the hardest classes and challenging yourself to think in new ways.

Mason Tuff

To me, the pandemic was, above all else, a challenging exercise in adaptation and personal initiative. Life fundamentally changed for the entire world, and there was no transition period. This forced me to advocate for myself and others, use the materials in front of me, and create and do something different.

Although certainly disappointing at first, the various canceled, postponed, and altered events of senior year actually brought me a great deal of freedom and free time. My numerous structured commitments became less demanding, which uniquely positioned me to dive into hobbies and interests that I would have had no time for in a normal year. Since the beginning of the year, I have explored in depth my interests in entrepreneurship, sustainability, and engineering. Having developed a fascination with botany and agritech, I have begun the construction of an aquaponics system that can sustainably grow edible fish and plants. I have also embarked on ambitious projects like the construction of a 3D printed, hydrogen-powered, radiocontrolled car through the sustainable innovations club I started last year.

I will miss the encouragement, energy, and personability of the faculty at Rivers. The teachers, athletic directors, administrators, maintenance staff, kitchen staff, and counselors alike all reflect the productivity, flow, and excitement of each day at Rivers. All faculty on campus are united by their genuine interest in getting to know you, pushing you, and shaping you into the best version of yourself. It has been invaluable being surrounded by such a consistently caring and knowledgeable group of adults.

Rivers taught me how to be passionately curious, undoubtedly myself, and confidently different. I would argue that those three facets are the pillars of personal success. That is not to say my Rivers experience was without its mistakes and uncertainties. But as I look back on my seven years, I am truly taken aback by how much I have grown as a person. Rigorous, stressful, and downright annoying at times, Rivers places such an emphasis on trying new things and having the freedom to explore passions. It has undoubtedly shaped my authenticity, which is something that will keep me prepared for, and content with, whatever is to come in the future.

Shamila Santana

During COVID, I tried connecting more with my friends and people around me. Knowing that I’m going to college at the end of year, I’m trying to strengthen my relationships here. When COVID first started, we weren’t allowed to see each other as much, so I wanted to make sure those relationships would still be there when we are allowed to be together. I had extra time, and I used it to better myself in school. My grades definitely went up. Senior year, I have the best grades I’ve ever had. That says a lot, because for many, grades don’t improve at this point. This year, I explored my identity a lot. We all saw what was happening in society after George Floyd was killed. I’m mixed race, and I’m also Latina, so I did a deeper dive into that. It made me want to take part in DEI work when we came back to school in the fall. I’ve spent a lot of time helping the community and building connections at other schools with their BIPOC students, as a liaison for BRIDGE and other clubs. My perspective has changed; I wanted to go deeper into aspects of how we can better the school for more people and more diverse communities. It’s getting there. I think it has definitely improved since last year. I know that when I have conversations now with other students or adults, I can see a lot of people learning and shifting their mindset.

When I leave Rivers, I’ll miss the people and the sense of community. As I was interviewing for colleges, I kept emphasizing that I wanted a school where I can feel like part of a community. But even the smallest colleges are way bigger than Rivers, and I just know, no matter where I go, I’m going to miss that.

The biggest piece of advice I’d give a ninth grader is “Don’t try too hard to fit in.” You can be yourself and also be liked. When I came to Rivers, I really wanted to be part of one certain group, and I didn’t let myself explore others. Junior and senior year, I sort of regretted that. I wish I had just been myself.

A Career

ANDA Calling

Driven by compassion and a sense of purpose, alumni are drawn to nursing

By Jane Dornbusch

Ask anyone who’s ever been in a hospital: Nurses get the job done. Doctors may give orders, technicians may perform tests, but nurses are the ones who, with the utmost skill and compassion, provide day-to-day, in-the-trenches patient care.

Given what nursing entails, it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s a popular career choice for Rivers alumni. Of course, Rivers graduates end up in a wide range of professional fields. But nursing, it might be argued, offers a particularly clear embodiment of Excellence with Humanity.

“I really do think Rivers helped me discover this passion,” says kate Szostkowski ’09, a floor nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“You have to be a special person to be a nurse,” says taylor Cross ’12, a nurse at Beth Israel Lahey Hospital in Burlington. “The background Rivers gave me, and the type of person Rivers produces, are perfect for the situation. Rivers made us wellrounded and caring individuals. The more nurses and healthcare workers that come out of Rivers, the better.”

Prioritizing Patient Care

Now more than ever, nurses are being recognized for the value they bring. The past year has been rife with indelible images of these front-line workers garbed in PPE, caring for the sick and dying. But for the providers who’ve lived through it, it was nothing more or less than the job they’d trained for. Nurses in particular spent the long months of the pandemic not just ministering to patients’ medical needs but supporting families, pitching in to create clean rooms, holding iPads as families said goodbye to loved ones. And many say there’s a newfound respect for and understanding of the field.

“People are appreciating what we do, which is nice,” says Cross. “Thanks to COVID, I think we are finally getting the credit we deserve, and people are understanding what a nurse really does.”

Rivers alumni choose nursing for a range of reasons. Some value the variety of opportunities it offers; others were drawn to providing the kind of close, personal care that nursing entails. Some enjoy the adrenaline rush of challenging, fast-paced work. But all are committed to nursing and say that they wouldn’t have chosen a different path.

Claudia Bellido ’14 had considered both medical school and physician assistant school before earning her nursing degree. But nursing ultimately won out, because, she says, “I loved the idea of a career in medicine that emphasized interpersonal relationships between provider and patient. Doctors have many more patients but less one-on-one time. They don’t know them the way the nurses do.” Today, Bellido is a registered nurse at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.; having completed her degree in December 2019, she’s spent pretty much her entire nursing career in the COVID era.

Caite Cutler ’08, a staff nurse in day surgery at one of Boston Children’s Hospital’s suburban satellite settings, says that while she knew she wanted a career in health care, she was never drawn to becoming a doctor. “I had this vision that nursing was going to allow me to be face-to-face with patients,” says Cutler. “I really liked science, and if I hadn’t found that interesting, I wouldn’t have gone to nursing school. But the stronger draw was making connections, being in the trenches while doing the healing. That was why medical school never appealed to me.”

“At one point,” says kimberly kontrimas ’03, a staff nurse at Beth Israel Lahey Hospital, “I thought I wanted to be a geriatric social worker. But after I did an internship at a nursing home, I realized that social work was too much about paperwork and discharge and damage control. With nursing, you get to really do patient care and care for the whole person.”

For meggie Woodruff ’09, an oncology RN and nursepractitioner candidate at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, the choice was spurred by personal experience. “The ‘why’ behind the nursing profession, and especially behind my passion for oncology, is tied to losing my dad to colon cancer when I was 8 years old and he was 39,” says Woodruff. “Even if I was too young to connect the dots early on, this certainly sparked my interest in caring for people who are sick, and especially those dealing with terminal illness. I see my work in oncology as a direct connection to honoring my dad’s life, and it is the driving force behind my passion for this field of medicine.”

“One of the things I love about nursing is that it’s always challenging, always pushing you to the limit, whether physical or mental.” —KaTE SzoSTKowSKI ’09

From romania, with Love

While their career paths may vary, many Rivers-educated nurses say that the groundwork for their eventual profession was laid at Rivers. And several specifically cite the school’s Romania service learning trip as inspiration. Although the program has been on hiatus for a few years, the Romania trip, with its focus on caring for children in a Bucharest hospital, “is what solidified nursing for me,” says Szostkowski. “I was so affected by caring for these kids.”

Cutler ’08 had a similar epiphany. “I was always drawn to kids, but when I went to Romania, it was like a lightbulb; I realized

that this was what I really wanted to do. After Romania, I started volunteering at Children’s Hospital, and I was hooked. I’m really happy that Rivers opened up that opportunity.”

Cross likewise says the trip was a watershed moment for her, but she also mentions another formative Rivers experience that many say pointed them toward health-care careers: The Human Anatomy and Physiology class. Students in the course pay weekly visits to Harvard Medical School, where they are immersed in a hospital setting. Woodruff says, “It was through that class, as well as AP Bio, that I discovered my love of biology.” kaleigh hunt ’09, a nurse practitioner at Newton Wellesley Hospital, recalls, “I think I took every single science class at Rivers. I especially loved Anatomy and Physiology.” Cutler says that while the topic was viewed with trepidation by her fellow nursing students in college, she found that, having taken the high-school class, “I loved it and found it really manageable. I had a comfort level with it, because I had done it before, in an abbreviated way.”

Cross goes even further. In high school, she had had the opportunity to observe the work of doctors and nurses in the hospital, through visiting a family friend who was gravely ill. “I saw how unbelievable the nurses were, and I thought I’d love to do that,” she says. “But my confidence wasn’t there. I wasn’t sure I could get into nursing school; I didn’t know if I could be that person. And then, when I took that anatomy class at Rivers, and I did well, I said, ‘This isn’t going to be a problem.’ That’s what made up my mind.”

For some, the path to nursing was less direct, but can still be traced to Rivers. David meropol ’03, a radiology nurse at Children’s Hospital, majored in recreation and leisure studies in college—“which basically means I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he notes. It turned out to be an “amazing major” that opened the door to a job in the travel industry. But when the recession of ’08 decimated that field, Meropol knew he had to pivot. Recalling the care he’d received after having two major childhood surgeries, he landed on nursing, powering through the pre-reqs and an accelerated BSN program in about two years.

Meropol credits Rivers with making him flexible, confident, and positive in his outlook: “Rivers was such a nurturing and caring environment, a great place to learn that allowed students to explore whatever interests them. It helped me to evolve into the person I am today.”

onward and Upward

Many nurses choose to advance their careers by pursuing nurse-practitioner training. Woodruff will be finishing up her master’s degree as a nurse-practitioner in acute care this summer. With that degree, says Woodruff, “You are basically becoming a provider, with the authority to diagnose and treat patients. In an in-patient setting, it’s more like being a resident.” Earning this qualification was always part of her plan: While employed as a research associate at Mass General Hospital after college, she says, “I worked closely with a lot of nurse practitioners and felt connected with that model of care. I divided it out; I did my RN first and got some experience there. It gives you a good perspective, working with a lot of nurses and other providers. It’s good to have that background.”

Hunt, the Newton-Wellesley NP, spent her earlier years in nursing in the emergency department at Boston Medical Center. “You are thrown into a war zone,” she says—adding, with the brio characteristic of the profession, “It was fabulous.” But at a certain point, she says, “I knew as a nurse there wasn’t much more I wanted to do. As a nurse practitioner, I’m acting as a primary care provider. That was something I wanted to try to attain.”

Cross, too, is pursuing her advanced degree to become a nurse practitioner, hoping to take her career to the next level. But it was important, she says, to spend some years on the front lines first. “You’re seeing a lot more younger nurse-practitioners now, but I would recommend working first, as an in-patient bedside nurse,” says Cross. “When you’re a bedside nurse, you’re providing complete care for five patients over 12-hour shifts. That’s bedside nursing. And you can tell which nurse-practitioners have had bedside experience.”

Hunt notes that Massachusetts recently passed a law that opens up new professional doors for NPs. “If you have over 2000 hours of supervisional work, you can practice on your own and have an entire practice yourself. I’m impressed that we did that in Massachusetts. The jump from registered nurse to nurse practitioner is tough. It’s nice that we can ultimately hang our own shingle.”

Kaleigh Hunt ’09 was working in the emergency department at Boston Medical Center when the pandemic broke out.

Kim Kontrimas ’03 laced up a pair of pink boxing gloves as part of a “Code Rocky,” celebrating the discharge of a COVID patient.

Pandemic Pivots

By training and temperament, these nurses seem prepared for any emergency. But the COVID crisis brought unprecedented challenges that strained hospitals, and their workers, to the limit. Many nurses were forced to pivot quickly, reassigned to new units or seeing their own settings converted to COVID-patient care. And some stepped up to volunteer for the challenge of looking after coronavirus patients.

Woodruff, the oncology nurse, says, “I volunteered to work on a COVID unit for a few months in the spring of 2020. That was a different experience, which was challenging, requiring a different skill set. Back in the beginning, it was pretty much only the nurses going into the patients’ rooms. We had no nurses’ aides going in; we would clean the rooms and everything. There was a lot piled onto our role.

“We still have limitations on who can go into COVIDpositive rooms. I live alone, and I don’t have any elderly family nearby. I don’t have kids, so I felt pretty safe; I didn’t feel like I’d be exposing other people in my life. If I had, that would have been different. But this is a pivotal time in our history, and I like to think of myself as someone who would volunteer in a time of need.”

Szostkowski echoes Woodruff’s sentiment: “It’s exciting because you’re living history right now. Any time new diseases emerge, you’re always just learning. One of the things I love about nursing is that it’s always challenging, always pushing you to the limit, whether physical or mental.”

Hunt was still working at Boston Medical Center when the pandemic broke out. “Eighty percent of patients,” she reports, “had COVID.” She recalls a sense of “Oh my gosh, what’s coming at us, what’s going to change today?” Hunt ended up a COVID patient herself, losing her sense of taste and smell in a bout last May. She’s recovered now but is still mindful of the need for constant vigilance, even as the vaccine and a decline in cases point toward a possible end to the COVID era.

Bellido, the newly minted nurse who began her first job just a month before COVID hit, says, “My unit was probably one of the most impacted. We started as a thoracic surgery intermediate care unit. But with the pandemic, they were trying to keep COVID patients away from others, and they needed to create more ICU beds. My unit informally became the COVID intermediate unit. It was a huge change from what we’re used to.

“One of the biggest challenges with caring for COVID patients,” Bellido continues, “is the amount of PPE we have to wear just to enter a room. If there’s something going on, if they’re not doing well, we can’t just barge into the room immediately, the way we do with other patients. We have to put on an N95 and a face shield and gloves, which takes a few minutes, so it can be challenging just to get in and assess the patient. Another challenge has been the restriction of visitors and family members; it’s not a medical challenge per se, but it’s a challenge for patients, especially if they’re in the end stages of life, which we see a fair amount. It’s heartbreaking to tell family members they can’t see loved ones.”

But with all the challenges, says Bellido, there were some positives. “It forced me to be very adaptable to different environments and different types of patients. I had to learn how to think very quickly as a brand new nurse.” Still others dealt with PPE shortages, long hours, and burnout. But there were bright spots as well. Says Kontrimas, “When we discharge COVID patients, we do a ‘Code Rocky.’ They play the Rocky theme song and everyone cheers. One of the surgeons would dress up in a full-body Rocky costume; I have this pair of pink boxing gloves, and I would run around the hospital in them.” By February, says Kontrimas, Code Rockies were finally becoming rarer. “I said to that surgeon, ‘We haven’t done our thing for a while.’ And that’s a good thing. There were eight or nine a day at the peak.”

Fortunately for the rest of us, there will always be those who answer the call to nursing. And make no mistake: It is a calling as much as a career. As Woodruff puts it, “I have always been drawn to deep and meaningful connections in my work, and I don’t think I’d be satisfied if I didn’t have that. It definitely feels like a life purpose.” � R

“This is a pivotal time in our history, and I like to think of myself as someone who would volunteer in a time of need.” —MEGGIE wooDRuFF ’09

Endowed Funds

ENRICH THE RIVERS ExPERIENCE

A student is able to pursue an internship in the tech world, and receives a stipend to offset giving up a paid summer job. Another can attend the prom or take an SAT class without worrying about the expense. A Spanish teacher undertakes a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago and returns, enriched, to share the experience in the classroom.

All these special Rivers experiences, and many more, are made possible by the school’s endowment funds. A robust endowment is a foundation on which to build the future, and that’s why it’s been one of the three pillars of FutureMakers: The Campaign for Rivers. Growing the endowment has been a priority, allowing Rivers to continue to offer unique educational opportunities and weather financial storms. Since the launch of FutureMakers, Rivers has added nearly $14 million in endowment commitments.

Endowed funds are usually launched by a generous donor or group of donors for a specific purpose. Often, the funds are created in memory or honor of a particular person. The initial donation is invested, and the resulting income goes toward the designated purpose. An endowment is sometimes compared to a savings account—one in which only the interest is spent, while the principal remains untouched.

The goal of the endowment is to enhance the school experience for all students; arguably, the programs benefiting from these funds are what makes Rivers Rivers. Generally speaking, endowed funds are used for three purposes in particular—financial aid and experiential equity, curricular improvements, and faculty support. Read on for some real-life examples of how endowed funds make the difference.

All the Difference

Faculty Support

The faculty is at the heart of everything Rivers does, and endowed funds have helped support their work in many ways over the years. The Faculty Enrichment Grants program has long been a means to recognize and support the value of faculty experience outside the classroom. The grants have sent teachers to Britain to explore their cultural roots; to Scandinavia to experience firsthand the settings of books on the syllabus; to the wilderness to learn survival skills; and much more. In each case, faculty members come back recharged, re-energized, and ready to share what they’ve learned.

Joan Walter P’87, ’89, a longtime supporter of Rivers, chose to support

those experiences through the Joan C. Walter endowed enrichment Fund. “Serving on the committee that decided those grants was just outstanding,” she says. “I saw what even the smallest grants did for faculty members, just allowing them to get away and follow their passions. I decided to set up the fund so I could add to those grants.”

Another form of faculty support comes in the form of honorary chairs. The Gallagher and Prince teaching chairs are endeavors of long standing, but the most recent such effort has been the Jarzavek Chair, created in 2005 to honor longtime faculty member Jack Jarzavek. Jarzavek notes that the concept was to create something more like a college chair, held for the duration of the honoree’s time at Rivers. The inaugural—and so far, the sole—recipient of the honor is visual arts faculty member David Saul; with Saul’s retirement this spring, a new holder of the chair will be chosen.

An undertaking like the Jarzavek Chair, paid for by the endowed John B. Jarzavek teaching Chair Fund, is an expensive proposition, and the fundraising efforts are ongoing. Although the fund is still striving for its target level of $1 million, the significance and substance of launching it is immeasurable. “I liked the idea of having a real chair at Rivers,” says Jarzavek, adding that he believes it “really says something about the school” and how it values its faculty.

For his part, Saul says he’s been deeply honored by holding the chair. “In some ways, the recognition and connection to Jack feels like the most significant aspect of it. The pride of holding the chair is really more emotional. It makes me feel valued; it’s this wonderful recognition that makes all the difference.”

Beyond the Classroom

Curricular Improvements

Much valuable learning can take place outside of the classroom, and today that’s more true than ever. Internships give students a taste of the “real world” and let them explore possible career interests.

For more than a decade, Rivers has offered students a summer science internship, placing interested students in local settings ranging from medicine to software to biotech. Jessica Bargamian ’21, for example, followed a hand surgeon at Boston Medical Center. Upper School science teacher Michael Schlenker, who serves as coordinator of the internships, says that the opportunity for students to connect their classroom learning to the wider world is one of the many important outcomes of the program. “This to me is where that really happens,” he says.

This year, a parent who prefers to remain anonymous generously created the endowed

Fund for Immersion and Inclusion in the

Working World. “He came forward after learning about the internship program,” explained Kim Fox, associate director of advancement at Rivers. “He was focused on the inclusion piece and making it more accessible—if, for instance, a student needs help with transportation to an internship.”

Fox notes that the science internships have in some cases pointed students toward a particular college major and a career. “Nico Stuart, a senior who’s going to Wash U. in St. Louis to study computer science, worked with software developer Jackpine Technologies,” she said. “He loved the experience so much that he wanted to major in that subject. And when I told the donor that story, he said, ‘That’s awesome—exactly what we want.’ ”

ABoVe: Jennie Hutton Jacoby helped launch two endowed funds for financial assistance.

A Personal Reason

Financial Assistance and Experiential Equity

Financial assistance helps put a Rivers education within reach for any deserving student. Twenty-nine percent of Rivers students receive financial aid, and generous assistance ensures that our students represent a wide demographic range and are able to attend the school without undue hardship.

But it has become increasingly evident that tuition aid alone does not allow all students equal access to the school’s programs and resources. To fully participate in the school’s life, students need money for textbooks and musical instruments, travel and co-curricular activities, SAT classes and the prom. Meeting these expenses can be a challenge, which is where endowed funds such as the gainie Fund, founded by English faculty member Jennie Hutton Jacoby P’07, come into play.

Jacoby, who has taught at Rivers since 1995, first took on the challenge of meeting student financial need with the launch of the hutton Scholarship Fund in 2001. Funding came from the Edward L. Hutton Foundation, named for and founded by Jacoby’s father. Jacoby explains the back story: “My dad grew up in rural Indiana. He was one of nine children, and during the Great Depression, the family was so poor that he had to move in with foster parents, neighbors down the street. As I was growing up, I was always aware of the generosity of adults in my dad’s life—adults who had found ways for him to receive scholarships and haveaneducation.”Edward Hutton went on to college, graduate school, and success. It was only fitting that, as the foundation sought deserving recipients for its funds, tuition assistance would be among its priorities.

But Jacoby didn’t stop there. By 2013 or so, the conversation on financial assistance had shifted to the concept of experiential equity and non-tuition aid. “It was an ongoing discussion at the time,” recalls Jacoby. “We had an array of students all at the same school, but with a huge disparity in what they could experience.”

Soon enough, the foundation had endowed a second fund named for Jacoby’s mother, who had recently passed away and whose nickname was Gainie. The Gainie Fund helps students with all sorts of “extras” that contribute to a full Rivers experience. “It was a way to honor my empathetic and generous mother,” says Jacoby. “If she knew there were children who couldn’t afford to go to prom, she would have been heartsick.” This auxiliary fund has allowed students to attend conferences, buy textbooks, purchase musical instruments, participate in school trips, and so much more.

Jacoby is happy to help support student experience, and she is especially pleased to do so in a way that honors her parents. “I wanted to give to the school, but perhaps an even larger incentive was that it was a tangible way to keep both of my amazing parents alive,” she says. “There is so often a personal reason for creating this type of fund. That was at the heart of it.”

a Fond Farewell

melinda ryan and David Saul may teach very different subjects—Spanish and visual art, respectively—but they both have the distinction of serving many years at Rivers, and they will both leave large shoes to fill when they retire at the end of the 2020–21 school year. Between them, they have spent 84 years on the Rivers faculty. On the occasion of their retirement, we spoke to Ryan and Saul about their time at Rivers, their approach to teaching, and their plans for the next chapter.

David Saul | Visual Art

David Saul has taught photography at Rivers long enough to see multiple generations of the same family pass through his classroom. And, he adds, “As a fun aside, there are five members of the current faculty whom I taught as students.”

Saul’s 38 years on the faculty began with a bit of serendipity. He was a year or so out of college and had taught at the Maine Photographic Workshops, which confirmed his idea of pursuing a teaching career. At a National Association of Independent Schools conference on the arts, he made some valuable connections, including with Eleanor Mahoney and Lucy Leyland, then the core of the Rivers art department. They happened to meet on the buffet line at lunch; although there were no openings at Rivers at the time, Saul says it was this “great chat” that made his name rise to the top of the list a year or two later, when Rivers was looking to expand its art department. He was struck by the unusual opportunity to be part of a growing program. “There already were some great art educators here, but the goal was to build the department. I was able to hit the ground running, and over the span of several years, we were able to transform the program.”

In his time at Rivers, Saul has served two separate stints as art department chair, most recently from 1992 to 2020. The visual arts program grew by leaps and bounds under Saul’s stewardship. One innovation he’s particularly proud of is the introduction of the senior art portfolio program; members of the department work with committed art students to prepare a polished portfolio to present as part of their college applications. “And it isn’t just the art stars,” Saul says, noting with pride his team’s ability to coax creativity out of every student.

That resonates with Saul, who, in his own estimation, was “not an art kid” in high school. He says he decided to join a printmaking class to fill his schedule, and it eventually led to a passion, specifically for photography. In the classroom, he’s worked hard to impart that passion, partly through teaching students that a photo is more than just a snapshot. “What I’m trying to do is create an appreciation that a photo is something other than stuff, other than content. In photography, I try to build an understanding of visual literacy. So they begin to see that an image is not just what’s depicted, but how it’s put together.”

It’s an approach that has had an impact on countless Rivers students. George Reinhardt ’20, who took nine photography classes in his time at Rivers, said, “Mr. Saul was one of the most influential teachers, mentors, and friends I had at Rivers. His tremendous passion for photography is evident in the boundless energy he commits to his teaching. It is this passion that has instilled in me what will no doubt be a lifelong love of photography.”

Saul is looking forward to spending time on his own photo projects and, eventually, to relocating to a place he’s been renovating on the Rhode Island coast. “I’ll pursue projects that have been on the back burner, take a few classes to expand my skill set,” he says. “Being a student is a lot of fun.” Certainly, Saul’s former students would agree.

Melinda Ryan | Spanish

Time, it is said, flies when you’re having fun, and that helps explain why Melinda Ryan’s 46 years teaching at Rivers have passed in a flash. “I don’t know where the time went,” says Ryan, “which is a wonderful comment on how rewarding the decades have been.”

Fresh out of college in June of 1975, Ryan—whose lifelong passion for languages steered her toward a career in teaching Spanish—had already been offered a position at another school when she interviewed at Rivers. “I distinctly remember coming home and saying to my husband, ‘I don’t know what it is, and I’m not sure that I can articulate it exactly, but I have to teach there.’ It was a visceral response but spot on,” she recalls. “Throughout my entire career I have been happy and engaged and constantly learning; I truly have loved our community, our mission, and, most of all, our students.”

During her tenure at Rivers, Ryan has served in a multitude of administrative and leadership roles, in many cases forging a path for women in what was once an almost exclusively male community. Says Ryan, “Without having to stand on a soapbox, I’ve always believed firmly in equality and that modeling strong, compassionate leadership is the best way to move forward. What you do speaks far more eloquently than what you say.”

Currently Rivers’s longest-serving teacher, Ryan has had the opportunity to see the school evolve. “It was a bit rougher around the edges at first,” she recalls, “but the core strength of Rivers was then, as it is now, believing in the individual student, meeting them wherever they are, and developing in them the tools to discover, grow, and achieve.”

Toward that end, she says, “I’ve tended to push kids hard in the classroom—because I know they can do far more than they think possible. I’ve enjoyed challenging my students, supporting them, and ultimately seeing their pride and growth in confidence when they achieve their goals.”

The rigor has been tempered by warm support. Former student Jackie Benjes ’20 says, “Señora Ryan pushed me to be the best student and person I could possibly be, while at the same time making me feel like I was the most loved and caredabout person in the entire world. I went into every meeting I scheduled with her feeling so reassured, because I knew that she would help me with the material and would also ask how I was doing as a full person.”

Benjes has fond memories of traveling and studying with Rivers in Cadiz, Spain, accompanied by “Cadiz mom” Ryan, who developed the popular academic program. Ryan has been gratified to see the evolution of the program and the powerful impact it has had on students. “You really get to see all their effort in the classroom burst into life before them,” says Ryan. Benjes recalls a weekend trip to Granada: “We played games and just talked, and Señora Ryan told us about her journey with Spanish. It was a magical night, because we got to see where our Spanish could potentially take us.”

In retirement, says Ryan, she is looking forward to “the luxury of having time to do whatever pops up on my wish list.” That time has been in short supply during her years at Rivers, but she has no regrets about having immersed herself so deeply in her career. Says Ryan, “Teaching at Rivers has never just been my job; it has really been a huge and rewarding part of my life’s work.” � R