christianlandry – A Student Publication of the Roxbury Latin School

Zoom classes are a virtual success

By David Brennan I

The unprecedented coronavirus pandemic has caused schools across the world to close their doors and forced them to come up with new ways to educate their students—Roxbury Latin is no different. Students left campus for Spring Break following class on March 11, and could not return for rest of the school year. Meanwhile, the remainder of the curriculum is being finished virtually on Zoom. Instead of gathering for homeroom each morning, students just open up their computers and click on the Zoom link for the teacher of their first class. These links then bring the students into the virtual space where classes are conducted. While it is certainly a change from normal, this new reality has worked relatively well over the first several weeks. Besides a welcome shift from the original schedule, everything seems to have gone according to plan.

The question on every graduating senior’s mind: What will colleges do?

By Will Specht II

College – the next step. Between taking standardized tests, applying, and finally deciding where you want to go, this process students commit to every year is undoubtedly long and complicated. However, COVID-19 has drastically changed this process. Applicants, accepted students, and current college students alike have all had to face the unknown as colleges scrambled to cope with the new global reality. Across the country, colleges have had to turn virtual for all students, both prospective and enrolled. Most colleges have closed to students and have also closed tours for potential applicants. At the same time, the SAT and SAT subject tests have been postponed, while AP tests are now online. With these massive changes, colleges have chosen how to handle these new circumstances while some prepare for another semester online.

In Boston it’s do as I say but not as I do

By Willem Santry II

For the most part, Bostonians fit into two camps: those who follow the rules (mostly not from here) and those who don’t; there is no in-between. Since the Coronavirus took hold of the City in March, this division has become even more pronounced. Take, for instance, a couple of weeks back, the Mayor’s just announced a 9 pm curfew – no man, woman or child allowed out on the street except for essential business. I’ve got to walk the dog, it’s 10 pm, and I figure that this has got to be “essential” business. Of course, the curfew doesn’t apply to me. The street is eerily quiet, the usual sounds of cars and planes completely absent.

Multitasking Madness

By Jonathan Weiss I

Disclaimer: Before reading this, please know that I’m a total hypocrite. Me writing an article on multitasking is like Ronald McDonald preaching healthy eating. My morning routine consists of me brushing my teeth, doing laundry, listening to Flying Lotus, and plotting world domination. All at once. However, addressing my multitasking habit has made me a much more mindful person, for reasons I’ll explain.

What will a coronavirus summer feel like?

By Ben Chang-Holt II

As Roxbury Latin boys looked ahead to the summer of 2020, they were worried about what was to come. Was there any chance of getting a paying summer job? Could they still be selected for that coveted research internship they had been hoping for? Would they be able to travel around the world? Most RL boys gave up, only making plans to sleep in until noon, play video games all day, and binge-watch The Office for the 14^th time. Many resigned themselves to the inevitable: their summer would, sadly, be utterly “unproductive.” Then, COVID-19 arrived.

Theo rises to the challenge of baking bread

By Theo Coben V

You ever just be chilling on your couch down in the dumps compulsively sucking your thumb and then decide to make sourdough? Yea, so like any 55-year-old woman who recently moved on from her Hamilton phase, I tried to do that. The dough takes a few weeks to develop because it needs a “starter,” which is an active yeast culture, so things get kinda funky if you do not attend to it. I kinda forgot about the whole project a few weeks in and left the boy out for a few weeks. I got pretty scared when it turned a color it really shouldn’t, and worse, I turned to my last resort: I created an account on an amateur Bread Forum. Under the alias “GettingThatBread,” I set out to revive said sourdough in these exact words:

Thank You, Mr. Wildes

Beloved teacher-coach returns to his alma mater, Pomfret School

By Mat Cefail I

This spring we must sadly say goodbye to Mr. Josh Wildes, who will be leaving RL after eight years. Mr. Wildes taught calculus, analysis, geometry, and algebra, which were always both fun and rewarding. He coached junior lacrosse for six years, and he led the school’s Anime Club for two. In addition to these activities, Mr. Wildes was the head coach of varsity wrestling for all eight years. In the 2018-2019 wrestling season, he was inducted into New England’s Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as Coach of the Year.

Offseason decisions hint at the future of the Pats

By David D’Alessandro II

Let’s begin with the many, many changes that have occurred this offseason. Most notably, beloved quarterback Tom Brady is leaving after 20 seasons, and although he wrote a nice twitter post, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s moving to Tampa Bay. With weapons such as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the most productive wide receiver duo in the NFL last year, and the recent retiree, Rob Gronkowski, the Buccaneers have favorable odds for stealing the NFC South Crown from the Saints. The Pats will also have some big holes to fill on the defense, losing two key defensive players, Kyle Van Noy to the Dolphins and Jamie Collins to the Lions, both of whom were defensive leaders and performers.

My father left Laos in search of a better life

By Jayden Phan V

All Class V students in Mr. Pojman’s English class deliver a “speech of personal experience” to their classmates as a winter assignment. Jayden Phan’s was particularly compelling. It is reprinted here slightly abbreviated for publication.

Would you ever want to leave your country and live somewhere else? Imagine.

Meet this year’s 18 Season Club athletes

Following a long-standing tradition, Tripod is proud to honor those elite athletes who have played a sport for every season of their six-year career. They are…..