“Rivers on the Road” Admission Tour Continues at the Concord Museum

“Rivers on the Road” offers prospective students and families an informal—yet informative—look into Rivers’ people and programs, with an opportunity to hear from and speak with current students and faculty members. Venues are chosen with the goal of hosting the events in spaces that spark intellectual curiosity, just like the Rivers campus does.

Director of Enrollment Management Yassine Talhaoui P‘32 described the gathering as a “low pressure way to meet and connect.” He opened the evening by welcoming attendees and introducing Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem, who highlighted the vibrant atmosphere on campus this fall.

“It is such an exciting time,” Dahlem remarked, describing Rivers’ ongoing momentum from academics to arts to athletics. He referenced the recent Upper School fall play, Little Women, acknowledging that the story is set in Concord, and noted that the Middle School play kicks off this week. Dahlem also shared that it has been an exciting season for fall sports teams, with several entering the playoffs, including field hockey with a 16–1 record and football with a 7–1 season. 

Dahlem also emphasized Rivers’ commitment to service, which was a “running throughline” earlier that same day, which happened to be Veterans Day. At Rivers’ annual Veterans Day assembly that morning, the Rivers community listened to an inspiring remote interview with a 2015 alumnus—a Marine Corps pilot stationed in Japan—who spoke about the impact of his Rivers teachers and his perspective on service. Reaffirming this commitment to service, members of the Rivers community engaged in service throughout the day as well, which Dahlem said ties into Rivers’ mission statement, which calls students to “create their own path to a life of impact and purpose.” He encouraged attendees in Concord to come to Rivers on a weekday to see campus life in action. 

The highlight of the evening was an address by history faculty member and Director of Upper School Interdisciplinary Programs Rachel Rios Lyon, who spoke about Rivers’ commitment to interdisciplinary learning. 

Lyon recalled a recent conversation with a senior: The student spoke enthusiastically about how using DNA extraction and CRISPR technology in the life sciences research program prepared him for his current work in the senior honors research seminar.

“It was so clear in that conversation how deeply important it is that we empower students to use their innate curiosity as a springboard, not just to absorb information about something like genetics, but to drive their own discovery through hands-on experiential learning,” said Lyon.

Lyon stressed that the ability of Rivers students to move “seamlessly from their individual academic passions to meaningful community impacts” is not accidental. “The Interdisciplinary Studies program was born out of a long-term strategic vision over a decade ago. We recognized that the world’s most complex problems, and their potential solutions, don’t just fit into neat single-subject boxes,” she said.

Special programs for interdisciplinary learning are integrated throughout the Rivers curriculum, ranging from an English seminar for Grade 9 students to the Special Program in Bioethics, which challenges students to pair research skills with ethical thinking to consider complex questions, such as the moral status of non-human animals. 

Beyond academic work, the impact of these programs extends directly into the wider community. Global Education Scholars broaden the community’s perspective by organizing and guiding vital discussions on international issues, such as leading school programming surrounding the visit of renowned activist Arn Chorn-Pond earlier this school year. Community Engagement Fellows partner with local nonprofits, translating their learning into real-world applications. 

“In my time here, it’s become so evident that all of what we strive to do as a school is focused on supporting the whole student,” said Lyon. “Ultimately, we hope students feel empowered to lead lives of impact and purpose, and we get to partner with them in that journey.”