2023

  • September

    Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem shared his vision for Rivers' future at Monday's all-school meeting.

    Looking Back and Forward: A Student-Centered Vision for the Future of Rivers

    Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem shared a bright and exciting vision—for students and members of the Rivers professional community alike—highlighting the future of The Rivers School at Monday’s all-school assembly. Dahlem opened with an extended moment of silence in honor of the victims of 9/11 and their families on the 22nd anniversary of the tragic event. He went on to  thank the community for an “amazing first week of school...the energy, the excitement, the engagement were so inspiring for me to see.”
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  • Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem addressed the school community on Tuesday.

    First Day: Dahlem’s Tenure Gets Under Way on Opening Day

    “Happy New Year!” The calendar may still read 2023, but that was the greeting offered by Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem at an all-school assembly on the first day of school this past Tuesday, underscoring the excitement of launching into both a new academic year and Dahlem’s tenure as head.
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  • August

    Meghan Morgan at the finish line for the WSER race. Photo credit: Hilary Ann Yang

    In It for the Long Run: Ultra-Marathoner Meghan Morgan ’15 Goes the Distance

    For most of us, running the 26.2 miles of a standard marathon lies somewhere between a fantasy and a hard-won goal. But for Meghan Morgan '15, it's the equivalent of a stroll in the park: Morgan is an ultra-marathoner who finished in the top 10 among women at the Western States Endurance Run in June, traversing 100 miles of challenging terrain through snow, hills, backwoods, and canyons. Morgan, who ran cross-country at The Rivers School, recently spoke about her journey from Rivers to WSER and her experience on the trails.

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  • Welcoming new professional community members

    The Rivers School is pleased to welcome the following new staff, faculty, and administrators to our professional community. A few of our new colleagues joined us starting this past fall and winter, so you may already recognize their names, while others are just beginning their Rivers tenures at the start of the 2023–24 academic year. Please join us in welcoming each of them to our community!


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  • Sadie Carroll ’23 (right) with the other medalists in the music composition category.

    Sadie Carroll ’23 Awarded Bronze Medal for Music Composition at National ACT-SO Competition

    Sadie Carroll ’23 recently earned the national distinction of being a bronze medalist at the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) competition. A cellist and composer, Carroll competed in the music composition category and earned the prize for her original composition, “Capriccio,” a classical piece for cello and piano, which received its premiere at Rivers in 2022.
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  • Rivers sophomores read their tribute essays to their Sages in the Sages & Seekers program.

    Sages & Seekers at Rivers: A Sage’s Perspective

    The Sages & Seekers program has become an integral part of the sophomore curriculum at Rivers and a beloved community exchange. Alan Bodnar, Ph.D., a psychologist and four-time Sage for Rivers’ Sages & Seekers program, offered his reflections on his experiences as a participant in the program in a recent column for the New England Psychologist

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  • June

    July 1 marks the official arrival of new Head of School Ryan Dahlem.

    Ryan Dahlem, Ninth Head of School, Begins Tenure Tomorrow

    On July 1, the next chapter for The Rivers School begins as ninth Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem arrives on campus, ready to assume his new role. In anticipation of this pivotal moment, Alan D. Rose Jr. ’87, president of the Board of Trustees, shared the following letter with the Rivers community.
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  • A rendering of the completed Parsons Quad.

    Construction Underway for New Parsons Quadrangle

    Groundbreaking is well underway for the new Parsons Quadrangle, a revitalized outdoor space for the Middle School set to open by the start of the school year in fall 2023. Named in honor of Ned and Lisa Parsons, the refreshed community space, which covers the area bordered by Prince, Haynes, Allen, and Carlin, will feature buildings accessible without ramps or steps and provide an updated recreational zone for students in Grades 6 through 8. It will also serve as a functional outdoor area for classes, meetings, and advisory spaces. 
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  • Grade 8 students displayed their accomplishments, including their creative skateboard designs, at Portfolio Night.

    Grade 8 Portfolio Night: The Class of 2027 Moves on to the Upper School

    Grade 8 Portfolio Night celebrates both an ending and a beginning: the end of the Middle School years and the beginning of Upper School. For the students, parents, friends, and faculty members who gathered in Kraft Dining Hall on June 6, it also represented an opportunity to see the concrete manifestation of the accomplishments, goals, aspirations, and engagement that marked the just-ended school year.
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  • Reunion 2023: Gathering to Remember and Celebrate

    Whether attending their fifth reunion or their fiftieth, alumni were thrilled to gather in Kraft Dining Hall on Saturday night to reconnect with old friends and catch up on what classmates have been up to post-Rivers. Nearly 200 alums came back to campus for the annual event, which this year celebrated graduates from years ending in 3 and 8.
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  • May

    With the class co-presidents hoisting the 2023 banner, the soon-to-be graduates took part in the traditional processional.

    Forecast for the Class of 2023: Bright Futures Ahead

    Rivers celebrated its 100th graduation ceremony on Friday, and as befits a centennial, the weather was picture perfect, the festivities went off seamlessly, and the 98 members of the Class of 2023 were delighted to celebrate this milestone surrounded by friends and family.
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  • Seniors were seated at the front of the tent as prizes were announced.

    Prize Day 2023: Cheers, Tears, and Accolades

    Gathering under the tent on the Lank Quadrangle outside of The Revers Center, students, faculty, staff, and senior administrators joined Head of School Ned Parsons for Prize Day 2023. The familiar and celebratory ritual unfolded Thursday morning under blue skies and with the usual measure of accolades, cheers, and joyful tears.
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  • Ned Parsons addressed the crowd at a Friday night celebration honoring his tenure at Rivers.

    Celebrating Nine Transformative Years Under Head of School Ned Parsons

    Emotions ran high as more than 400 members of the Rivers School community gathered on May 19 to mark and honor nine years of outstanding leadership under outgoing Head of School Ned Parsons P’17. Ned’s wife, Lisa, was also celebrated for her extraordinary contributions to Rivers. For the festive evening event, held under the tent on the Lank Quadrangle in front of The Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts, trustees, parents, alumni, friends, and members of the professional community came together to express gratitude for Ned’s leadership—and high hopes for the next chapter in the school’s history.
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  • Global Fair attendees enjoyed a potluck feast in the tent.

    Global Fair Celebrates a World of Cultures

    This past Monday, there was one place in Weston where you could sample baklava, dumplings, brisket, samosas, and more, all under one roof. That location was the tent on the Lank Quadrangle at Rivers, and the occasion was the Global Fair Picnic, an annual event that celebrates the diversity of our community. More than 150 people—Rivers families, students, alumni, faculty members, and staff—turned out for the festive potluck; this year, for the first time, the program also included musical and spoken-word performances by students and an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
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  • Rivers golfers enjoyed a day on the links.

    Alumni Come Together for 21st Annual Rivers School Golf Outing

    The 21st annual Rivers School Golf Outing brought together more than 120 golfers at the Charter Oak Country Club in Hudson on May 1. After a week of heavy rain, the sun made an appearance on the designated day, and Rivers alumni, parents, faculty, and friends enjoyed their time on the links.
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  • Dr. Marisa Franco (left) author of Platonic, spoke to the Rivers community as the 2023 Hall Family Speaker for civic engagement. Pictured here with Allison Hall P’19 in the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE).

    Dr. Marisa Franco: On the Power of Friendships

    If you could cultivate one area of your life that would help you live longer, avoid illness, stave off depression, flourish in your relationships, and even strengthen democracy, what would it be? Dr. Marisa Franco’s research reveals that the key to all these areas is forging human connection through secure friendships. A professor, psychologist, and a frequent national speaker on the topic of fostering belonging and improving mental health, Franco visited the Rivers campus in April as the 2023 Hall Family Speaker on civic engagement. In her time on campus, Franco met with students, parents, and alumni to dissect key themes in her 2022 New York Times best-seller Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends.
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  • McLean clinician Daniel Crump, LICSW, speaks to parents/caregivers about the importance of building connections.

    Rivers Hosts McLean Parent Workshop: “Building Connections”

    The Rivers School hosted the third and final parent/caregiver session of the Rivers|McLean Partnership Program on May 9 in Kraft Dining Hall. These workshops were introduced during the 2021–2022 academic year thanks to the generosity of the Bartlett Family and the Bartlett Family Fund for Wellness. Part of a partnership between Rivers and McLean Hospital’s School Consultation Service, they are designed to foster and normalize conversations about mental health and provide useful tools for parents/caregivers to utilize at home with their children. The theme of this session, “Building Connections,” focused on the challenges of navigating difficult conversations with kids, discussing mental health within a family, and learning the skills that adults need to make these conversations with their children productive.
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  • April

    Thando Khumalo '19

    Thando Khumalo ’19 Awarded Fulbright Grant to Italy for COVID-19 Research

    Rivers alum Thando Khumalo ’19 was selected as a Fulbright scholar to Italy for the 2023–2024 academic year. Her project, “An Investigation of Selenium-based Compounds that Inhibit SARS-CoV-2,” will utilize computational research to discover new selenium compounds that can be used to treat COVID-19. Khumalo will partner with Brookhaven National Laboratory and a research team of faculty and students at the University of Padova. The Italian Fulbright Commission awards 16 grants for open study/research per year for U.S. students.
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  • Featured guest speaker and former Rivers Faculty Carol Davidson P ’02

    Rivers Honors Holocaust Remembrance Day with Stories of Survival

    In ongoing observance of Jewish-American heritage month in April, Rivers offered a reflection for Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, in an all-school assembly featuring guest speaker and former Rivers faculty Carol Davidson P ’02. Yom Hashoah is officially observed this year beginning at sundown on April 17 and ending with sundown on April 18, and compels us to remember the truth of the Holocaust through the stories of those who lived and perished.
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  • Head of School Ned Parsons, Anne and Ryan Dahlem, and Board President Alan D. Rose, Jr. at last Tuesday's gathering in The Revers Center.

    Incoming Head of School Ryan Dahlem Returns to Rivers

    It was back to school last week for students—and back to Rivers for incoming Head of School Ryan Dahlem, who paid his second extended visit to campus to meet with various constituencies in the community from March 27 to 29. Dahlem was accompanied by his wife, Anne, and the Dahlems took the opportunity to further acquaint themselves with the community ahead of their July move to Weston. Dovetailing with a busy admission session, the visit advanced Dahlem’s immersion by broadening the focus to current and newly admitted families.
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  • March

    Brandon Brown, founder of School Yard Rap, addressed the Upper School in assembly.

    School Yard Rap Uplifts, Educates, and Inspires

    The Rivers School invited School Yard Rap founder Brandon “Griot B” Brown to an Upper School assembly this week to help retell Black history through a new lens. Brown, a former teacher, rapped through upbeat lessons and engaging illustrations that mirrored his words. The goal: to reframe Black history by leading students through the long list of outstanding contributions and achievements of minorities—including scientists, mathematicians, innovators, educators, founders, and musicians, among others.
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  • February

    A large ensemble cast brought joy, energy, and talent to the stage for The Wedding Singer, the Rivers winter musical.

    Winter Musical The Wedding Singer Makes Bells Ring at Regis

    Can a banquet-hall waitress find happiness with the lead singer of a cheesy ’80s wedding band? That is the question asked and answered—in the resounding affirmative—by The Wedding Singer, this year’s Rivers winter musical. A cast and crew of dozens of students brought boundless joy, energy, and talent to the Eleanor Welch Casey Theater at Regis College on Thursday and Friday, lighting up the stage with razzle-dazzle big numbers, moving ballads, snappy dialogue, and all the glitzy glamor of New Jersey in the Reagan era.
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  • Mr. Dahlem visited an advanced art class and served as the

    Getting Acquainted: Incoming Head of School Ryan Dahlem Visits Campus for Two-Day Immersion

    Incoming Head of School Ryan Dahlem visited The Rivers School on February 2 and 3 for a two-day immersion in the life of the school that included classroom visits and meetings with students, trustees, faculty, staff, deans, and department chairs. The itinerary, mapped out by the Heads Transition and Support Committee, was designed to give Mr. Dahlem an opportunity to experience the culture and community of Rivers firsthand before his official start in July.
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  • Holding On by Dana Lowitt '23 was one of the Gold Key winners.

    Rivers Students Make Strong Showing in Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

    Whether working in porcelain or wood, acrylics or charcoal, prose or poetry, Rivers students are skilled at expressing themselves and creating memorable works of art. That skill was recognized recently when the Massachusetts results of the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition were announced. Thirty-one works of visual art by Rivers students were honored, and three works garnered awards in the writing categories.
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  • January

    At Monday's all-school meeting, students performed a traditional Lunar New Year song, arranged by Adalia Wen '25.

    Lunar New Year: A Time of Reflection and Celebration

    The Lunar New Year, celebrated throughout Asia, began on January 22 this year, and Rivers marked the occasion with not one but two special events during the 15-day holiday. On Tuesday, January 24, the community enjoyed a festive evening of Chinese food, martial arts demonstrations, and dance performances. Then, at Monday’s all-school meeting, student members of the AAPI affinity group and Mandarin class members hosted a presentation that included a video and a special musical performance.
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  • Students from the SHADES affinity group addressed all-school meeting about the death of Tyre Nichols.

    Tyre Nichols’s Death Acknowledged During All-School Meeting

    At yesterday’s all-school meeting, following a celebration of Lunar New Year featuring musical performances and a video presentation, Rivers administrators and students addressed the recent death of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of Memphis police. Nichols was brutally beaten following an unexplained traffic stop, and his killing—along with the release of video footage of the incident—has sparked protests around the country and renewed the focus on police brutality and systemic racism.
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  • Jenny Jun-lei Kravitz will be the new director of DEI at Rivers, effective July 1,  2023.

    Rivers Announces New Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Head of School Ned Parsons announced today that Jenny Jun-lei Kravitz has been selected as the new director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at The Rivers School, effective July 1, 2023.
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  • Alan D. Rose Jr. '87 was recently named president of the Board of Trustees.

    “Whatever I Can Do to Help the School”: Alan D. Rose Jr. ’87 Named Board President

    In his long history with Rivers, Alan D. Rose Jr. ’87 has worn many hats, as student, alumnus, volunteer, Alumni Council president, and, for more than 15 years, board member. Now he’ll be trying on a new one for size: Rose was recently selected to serve as president of the Rivers Board of Trustees; his term started January 1, 2023. He succeeds Harley Lank P’21, who has been board president since 2018.
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BACK 2023