CAMPUS NEWS

So Much Drama: Students are Back on Stage

Live theater made a triumphant return to the Rivers stage this school year. Last year’s drama productions, curtailed by pandemic restrictions, were miracles of ingenuity and resourcefulness; this year’s, while no less creative, were marked by the joy that connects live audiences and performers.

The season got off to a strong start in November with the Upper School production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Staged in the Black Box Theater under the watchful eye of a full moon that appeared in the background of every scene, the production captured all the mystery and magic of the crowd-pleasing comedy.

Later the same month, the Middle School weighed in with a fall production in the Black Box, titled 15 Reasons Not To Be in a Play. A play about not being in a play, it sounds a bit meta, but hilarity ensued as the actors played out scenarios ranging from a glory-seeking elementary school teacher to possible disturbances in the global climate.

The Upper School musical is always one of the most highly anticipated events of the year—and never more so than this year. When faculty member Zoë Iacovelli and her team were pondering which musical would be presented by the Upper School this winter, she says the choice was clear. One particular show has the tunes, the laughter, the fun, and the joy—not to mention the numerous ensemble numbers that could accommodate one of the largest casts ever to grace a Rivers stage. In February, months of planning and hard work came to fruition in two energetic performances of Mamma Mia at Regis College.

Staging a musical takes a village, and Iacovelli was quick to acknowledge the efforts of all who helped make it happen. “The students and creative team poured their hearts into this show in hopes of uplifting our audience, and I am so proud to say I think we did our job,” she said afterward. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team, cast, and crew; their individuality and dedication made this music come to life.”

Wrapping up the year’s drama offerings was the Middle School musical, Matilda, in May. This show, based on the classic Roald Dahl book, tells the story of a gifted little girl and her escape from the boorish family that just doesn’t get her—possibly the perfect choice for middle schoolers.

Throughout all these productions, the joy of both performers and audience members was evident. The long hiatus, it seemed, simply served to increase the community’s appreciation for the stage.

Mamma Mia

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play

Luciano Lewandowski ’23, Sculpture, 2” x 4” Nigiri

Walt Regan-Loomis ’22, Digital Art, Untitled

Mulan Zhang ’25, Drawing and Illustration, It Will Be Clear Someday

Chelsea Yan ’25, Drawing & Illustration, A Matter of Mindset Summer Pierson ’22, Sculpture, On Gender and Religion

Student Art Recognized in Scholastic Competition

It was a windy day under the tent at an all-school meeting in May, causing the video screens to wave gently in the breeze. But that didn’t diminish the impact of the display: Students applauded as they watched a slide show of art works recently chosen for honors in both the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition and the Small Independent School Arts League (SISAL) 2022 exhibition. In all, 21 works by 19 students received Scholastic Art awards, while four students took home SISAL honors.

“The Scholastic Art Awards offer a great opportunity to honor our artists’ work by submitting to this incredible juried show,” said Tim Clark, Visual Arts Department chair. “I am thrilled for the artists whose work the Visual Arts faculty selected to enter, as well as for the artists whose work was recognized by the jurors.” Rivers students received five Gold Key awards, eight Silver Key awards, and eight Honorable Mentions in the Scholastic competition. In years past, winning entries were displayed in a gallery on the Tufts campus, but this year— as has been the case throughout the pandemic—the works could be viewed online on the Scholastic website.

The SISAL competition, which typically attracts hundreds of artworks from area independent schools, also gives students the opportunity to showcase their talents. Four students received awards: Cameron Baldwin ’28, Natalia Ramos ’22, Sophia Gao ’28, and Alexa Glick ’27.

Scholastic Gold Key Winners

Luciano Lewandowski ’23, Sculpture Summer Pierson ’22, Sculpture Walt Regan-Loomis ’22, Digital Art Chelsea Yan ’25, Drawing & Illustration Mulan Zhang ’25, Drawing & Illustration

Scholastic Silver Key Winners

Ava Berger ’26, Photography Sagine Cazimir ’26, Photography Kyra Coggin ’26, Photography Garrett Falahee ’26, Photography Avery Mattoon ’22, Sculpture Summer Pierson ’22, Sculpture Lucy Ton That ’22, Printmaking Mulan Zhang ’25, Painting

Scholastic Honorable Mentions

Finn Cahill ’24, Photography Nolan Cahill ’26, Photography Eddie De Souza ’26, Photography Henry Fang ’26, Photography Sam Lyons ’23, Photography Alexa Mordas ’24, Sculpture Keira Thompson ’22, Drawing & Illustration Chelsea Yan ’25, Digital Art

Sarah Knortz, former director of counseling and wellness at Rivers, spoke at the program’s culminating event in May. Julia Martin Burch, a clinician with McLean’s School Consultation Service, led parent sessions throughout the year.

Rivers/McLean Partnership Program Promotes Positive Mental Health

Navigating adolescence has never been easy—but imagine doing it during a global pandemic, under the glare of social media, in the midst of societal upheaval, and with the looming threat of catastrophic climate change.

While Rivers in many ways offers a safe haven to students, they are not immune to those stressors. Mental health concerns on campuses across the country have skyrocketed over the past 18 months. Understanding that, the school has entered into a new partnership with the world-renowned McLean Hospital in Belmont through its School Consultation Service program, which is offering a multi-pronged approach to addressing those concerns. The program involves staff, faculty, parents, and students working together to help guide our community through these challenging times.

Faculty and staff were introduced to the partnership between Rivers and McLean School Consultation Services at a meeting held shortly before the start of the 2021–2022 school year. In his opening remarks, Head of School Ned Parsons P’17 thanked faculty member Nikki Bartlett P’21, ’25, ’27 and her family for “their vision, leadership, and generosity” in bringing the program to campus through The Bartlett Family Fund for Wellness. The Bartletts, he went on, were inspired by the work of Rivers faculty and students in promoting wellness and destigmatizing issues of mental health.

Bartlett then spoke briefly about how her family’s involvement grew out of a desire to give back to Rivers, especially following her daughter Schuyler ’21’s own mental health challenges and the support she received here. “It’s a gift of love and appreciation for everyone in this room, and a gift of hope,” said Bartlett.

Former Rivers Director of Counseling and Wellness Sarah Knortz shared some sobering data on Rivers students and their responses to the events of the previous year and a half. She said the number of students seeking mental health support in the fall of 2020 alone greatly exceeded the number who had sought such help over the entire previous year. She told the audience that the McLean School Consultation program works to “eliminate both mental-health stigma and the obstacles to effective mental health care—obstacles that can and do prevent students from equitably accessing the full Rivers experience.”

Beyond the more well-known circumstances that might contribute to mental-health challenges, said Knortz, attending a high-achieving school—such as Rivers—has recently been identified as a risk factor. But there are countervailing protective factors, such as an emphasis on values and character, a social-emotional learning curriculum, and, most of all, strong relationships between students and teachers. Fortunately, such relationships are the cornerstone of a Rivers education, and though the challenges are real, the school is well-positioned to take them on. The McLean partnership, which provides teacher trainings, parent workshops, and student-facing services throughout the year, strengthens Rivers’s ability to address mental health challenges.

“Even if you’re not a clinician,” said Knortz, “you can provide microdoses of intervention” that can keep a concern from becoming a crisis. The new program gives teachers a wealth of tools and resources they can deploy.

Above all, the approach promoted by the Rivers Wellness & Counseling Department, along with the new McLean partnership, is a pragmatic one, aimed at putting the necessary tools and skills in the hands of all community members. In her opening remarks, Knortz acknowledged that mastering all the material and techniques might not be quick or simple. “You might feel like you get more information today than you can take in all at once,” she said. “And we are confident that every person will walk away with at least one simple, concrete tool or skill that they can use in their classroom to promote positive mental health.”

Tim Clark (left) and David Saul discussed a retrospective of Saul’s work.

Visiting Artists Bring Inspiration to Campus

What is the purpose of art?” Tim Clark, Visual “ Arts Department chair, asked the assembled crowd at an Upper School assembly in April. The question could be answered in any number of ways, but that morning, a pertinent and concise response was provided by Boston artist and guest speaker Cedric Douglas: “Art is a way to change the world.”

Douglas was on campus as part of his stint as a visiting artist, under the aegis of the Rivers Visiting Artist Series. Launched last year with guest artist Naoe Suzuki, the program aims to bring a distinguished artist to Rivers each year to mount an exhibition, speak to students, visit classrooms, and otherwise interact with the community.

“When we started the visiting artist program,” explained Visual Arts faculty member Nicole Winters, “I wanted to be thoughtful about the artist we bring. I wanted it to be about more than just pretty pictures; I wanted the work to speak to our community.”

In Douglas’s “Street Memorials Project,” on display from April 7 through May 16 in the Baldwin Family Art Commons in The Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts, the artist commemorates the lives of Black people lost to police brutality. The multi-media, multi-faceted work spurred thoughtful conversation on campus.

After Douglas’s talk at Rivers, there was a Q&A period. One student asked about the motif of monarch butterflies that runs through Douglas’s work. “To me,” he said, “they represent growth and transformation.” Another asked about the red roses that were part of the exhibition

Cedric Douglas came to campus in April, as part of the Visiting Artist Series.

in the Revers Center, destined—and designed—to decay over the course of the show.

Finally, a student asked if Douglas had any advice for aspiring artists. “Just do, make, and create as much as possible,” said the prolific Douglas, who has certainly been guided by that principle from a young age. “Find your voice through doing the things you like.”

An earlier exhibition in The Revers Center’s gallery space and the Campus Center’s Bell Gallery brought a familiar face back to campus. David Saul, who retired in 2021 as chair of the Visual Arts Department after 38 years at Rivers, shared more than 100 works in various media. The show highlighted over 40 years of creative exploration by Saul.

At a February virtual reception for the show (the planned in-person reception was quashed by Covid), Visual Arts Department Chair Clark chatted with Saul about his journey to becoming an artist, his creative process, and his career at Rivers. Of the latter, Saul said, “It was a great opportunity to build a program, hire wonderful people, teach great kids, and make a difference.”

To watch the virtual reception for David Saul’s exhibition, scan here.

The inaugural class of McCartney Scholars. Front, left to right: Ava Palazzolo, Grace Brosnan, Ian Keusch. Back, left to right: Jacob Sardinha, Jacqueline Lee, Charlotte Diamond. Members of the VC club at the April competition.

McCartney Scholars: Math Scholarship and Mentorship

When beloved math teacher Dan McCartney P’08, ’15 passed away unexpectedly in 2020, community members and the McCartney family came together to determine how best to honor the legacy of a man who gave so much to Rivers. From those conversations was born the McCartney Scholars, an endowed program of distinction that provides extraordinary opportunities in math scholarship and mentorship for selected students.

An outpouring of community support quickly brought in the necessary funds to launch the program, raising more than $1.1M. The inaugural group of six scholars was announced in January, and this special cohort is thrilled to be the first to hold the dis-tinction of being McCartney Scholars. They were chosen from among 16 applicants and advanced through a rigorous selection process that included a written submission and an interview.

The six students are Grace Brosnan, Charlotte Diamond, Ian Keusch, Jacqueline Lee, Ava Palazzolo, and Jacob Sardinha, all members of the Class of ’23. The eventual goal is to choose about six rising juniors each year who will continue with the program through graduation, with each cohort mentoring the next in turn. This year’s group of McCartney Scholars will also be part of the process of building the project and learning how best to deploy the program’s resources.

Asked what drew them to apply for the program, the students provided a range of responses. Most had not had the opportunity to know Dan McCartney well, but they were all aware of his impact on Rivers and excited about carrying on his legacy.

But first and foremost, all the Scholars share a passion for math—and a passion for sharing that passion. “It may be idealistic for me to say I hope other students come to love math as much as I do,” says Palazzolo. “But that definitely is the goal.”

Swimming with the Sharks: Rivers VC Club Hosts Competition

If you grew up watching Shark Tank instead of, say, SpongeBob, you just might turn out like Sebastian Connelly ’22, Ryan Douglas ’22, and the other members of the Rivers Venture Capital Club—that is, willing and eager to spend a weekend morning watching pitch decks, conducting due diligence, and creating term sheets, all with the goal of deciding how best to invest their employer’s money.

That was the scenario on an April Saturday in the Campus Center, when the VC Club hosted a competition pitting two real-world start-ups against each other in a quest for funding. The students assessed the businesses’ pitches, questioned the entrepreneurs, and presented their positions to the judges. Two teams of Rivers students competed, as did two teams from the Winsor School.

“The two startups are actual businesses run by Rivers parents,” explained math faculty member Elizabeth Wendorf, who serves as advisor to the club. On the day of the competition, the business founders first shared their pitch decks. Following that, each team had 15 minutes with each entrepreneur to ask questions. Once this due-diligence phase was complete, the teams met to decide which company to invest in.

Finally, the judges reviewed the term sheets and interviewed each team. The judges then named the top teams in several categories, such as best term sheet, best due diligence, and best overall. One of the Rivers teams was ultimately named the winner, but—to a greater degree than in most types of competition—the event was much more about the process than about the results.

After the competition, Connelly and Douglas called it a “unique experience for a group of high schoolers.” These types of competitions take place in business schools and colleges, but it is rare to see it at the high-school level. “The opportunity to see real entrepreneurs present their own products in real life was educational, exciting, and inspiring,” they said. “Furthermore, the process of presenting our decisions to the judges is modeled to be like junior venture capitalists selling senior venture capitalists on an investment. The experience felt very real.”

Community Gathers for Fun & Games

You couldn’t have asked for a nicer evening under the tent than May 13, when more than 200 members of the Rivers community came together for It’s All Fun and Games. This festive occasion gave adult members of our community, including parents and faculty, the opportunity to enjoy food, drink, and merriment. As temperatures hovered in the 70s under clear skies, attendees crowded around tables for blackjack and roulette, tossed bean bags at the cornhole station, showed off their hoops prowess at Pop-a-Shot, mugged in front of the camera at the photo booth, and, most of all, reconnected with åone another.

“This was a way for our parent community to get together and enjoy one another’s company, plain and simple,” said Amy Dunne P’06, ’08, director of parent engagement and special events. “After the necessary distancing of the past couple of years, I think people are just glad to connect with their peers, seeing old friends and new.”

The mood was festive as the crowd began to gather at 6:30. By 7:00, the big tent on the Lank Quadrangle was abuzz with activity. Assistant Head of School Jim Long briefly interrupted the festivities to make a few remarks. He thanked the parent volunteers for decorating the tent, and, speaking perhaps for all of the evening’s hosts, he concluded, “We’re delighted you’re here, and we hope to be able to continue to hold community events like this one in the months and years to come. Thank you for coming out—let the games begin!”

Hall Speaker Addresses Modern Antisemitism

Yair Rosenberg spoke to students about antisemitism in April.

The Hall Family Speaker Series, created in 2019, brings thought leaders to campus to address issues connected with civic engagement. This year’s Hall Speaker was Yair Rosenberg, a noted journalist, who came to Rivers in April to help mark the Days of Remembrance commemorating victims of the Holocaust.

Rosenberg, a writer at The Atlantic whose work has appeared in numerous publications, first asked for a show of hands. “How many of you are against antisemitism?” he asked. Every hand in the room went up. “If you stopped people on the street,” said Rosenberg, “you’d get a similar response. ‘Yeah, I’m against it.’ But it’s not so simple; it never seems to go away.”

Antisemitism, he continued, has some distinctive features that differentiate it from other forms of prejudice and that help perpetuate it. Said Rosenberg, “Even if people do want to get rid of antisemitism, they don’t always recognize it.”

He identified three challenges that make antisemitism especially persistent. First, there’s the word itself. It has the distinction of having been coined by a perpetrator, a 19th-century German journalist, rather than the victim. That has led to disagreement and confusion over its actual meaning. “And when people argue about the term for a prejudice,” said Rosenberg, “it’s usually a way to take attention away from the prejudice.”

The second challenge is what Rosenberg terms “the Holocaust trap,” which suggests that antisemitism ended with Hitler’s defeat and that genocide is the only form of antisemitism serious enough to merit attention.

Finally, the third challenge is the conspiracy theories that surround antisemitism, suggesting that the Jews secretly run the media, the banks, or other global undertakings. That sets it apart from other forms of prejudice, he said, and allows antisemites to scapegoat Jews for all of society’s woes.

After Rosenberg’s talk, Amy Enright, director of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement at Rivers, said she was pleased with how he helped students see the insidious nature of antisemitism. “With his expertise and broad perspective,” said Enright, “Yair equipped us to recognize and stand up against antisemitism if we see or hear it in our daily lives.”