“Reconnect, Reminisce, and Celebrate”: Rivers Celebrates Reunion

The day began with a luncheon for the 50th to 65th reunion classes, including one member from the Class of 1960. A handful of alumni present have memories from Rivers pre-dating the current Weston campus or from the very early years of the campus. At the time of campus groundbreaking in 1960, the land was mainly fields and farmland, with just a few buildings in the area that is now the Parsons Quad.

Following the luncheon, guests were invited to learn from Rivers faculty and students. History Department Chair and Jarzavek Teaching Chair Ben Leeming presented a lecture on how he and his students use AI language models to assist in historical research. Students in Leeming’s senior-level honors research seminar partnered with the Framingham History Center to conduct historical research in the archives, researching land deeds and other colonial documents with the objective of telling the often untold stories of Indigenous and Black residents in the area. Some students used AI as a tool for preliminary transcription of primary sources written in hard-to-read scripts. Leeming, who is an independent scholar in addition to teaching at Rivers, is part of an international team training AI models to transcribe documents written in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. 

Alums also had the opportunity to learn from students. Rising seniors in the McCartney Scholars Program presented a lesson on game theory. They shared background information about the topic as well as several examples of real-world applications. Their presentation was a recreation of a similar lesson they gave to the incoming cohort of McCartney Scholars, and they also shared with the Reunion audience some of what they learned from giving the presentation to their peers.

Alumni embraced the opportunity to engage with Leeming and the McCartney Scholars, demonstrating their curiosity through questions and responses to the lecture material. 

A hallmark of reunion is the annual alumni awards ceremony, when the Alumni Excellence Award, the Young Alumni Achievement Award, and the Rivers Cup are presented to alums of distinction. New this year was the Rivers Alumni Participation Cup, an award given to the graduating class with the highest participation in The Rivers Fund by May 31. To kick off this year’s ceremony in The Revers Center, Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem delivered opening remarks and a brief update on the state of the school. “Whether you walked this campus five or 55 years ago, you remain a part of this community, and we’re honored to have you with us today,” said Dahlem.

This year’s Alumni Excellence Award, presented to alumni who have led their colleagues and made lasting contributions in their field, went to Dr. Jordan Kreidberg ’75. A leader in pediatric nephrology, Kreidberg launched his own lab at Boston Children’s in 1994 and now co-directs the Kreidberg-Schumacher Lab, researching how kidneys are built and stay healthy. He is also a dedicated professor and mentor at Harvard Medical School. He founded and, until recently, directed the Office of Fellowship Training at Boston Children’s, providing extensive career development programs for postdoctoral fellows. Accepting his award, Kreidberg reflected that lifelong interests—medicine, but also fine arts—started for him at Rivers.

The Young Alumni Achievement Award is given to a recent graduate who models the spirit and values of The Rivers School, demonstrating leadership, excellence, and service to others. This year’s recipient was Tayra Melendez ’12, who was described at Rivers as a “genuine citizen of the school community, a talented artist, and one of the most skilled basketball players in Rivers’ history.” Since graduating, Melendez has become a two-time Olympian, representing Puerto Rico at the Tokyo and the Paris Olympics, and off the court serves as a devoted coach and mentor, having coached at Rivers and extending to the Amateur Athletic Union and collegiate basketball programs.

Melendez was unable to attend the ceremony to accept her award, but shared her gratitude via a statement, recalling the sacrifices she made to attend Rivers and thanking her former teachers and mentors: “I will forever be indebted to Rivers for the opportunities it has given me, the people I met and still remain in my life, the basketball player I have become—but more importantly, the woman that I am today … a woman who set goals for herself … and then reached them with integrity and perseverance.”

The Rivers Cup is given by the Alumni Association to an alum who has shown extraordinary dedication to Rivers. This year’s recipient was Alexandra Krotinger ’04, president of the alumni council. “At Rivers, Alex stood out as an earnest and thoughtful leader,” said Dahlem. “What makes Alex truly extraordinary is her ongoing and unwavering commitment to Rivers,” he continued, adding that she has been a driving force behind strengthening alumni engagement. 

Krotinger proudly accepted her award in front of her supportive family. “I’m so grateful for this school for investing in me the way they did,” said Krotinger, who credited her Rivers experience with teaching her many valuable lessons in succeeding gracefully and the importance of giving back. 

The inaugural Alumni Participation Cup went to the Class of 1965, which had an 89% participation rate toward The Rivers Fund. The Rivers Fund overall accounts for roughly 7% of the operating budget, helping strengthen nearly every element of daily life on campus.

After the awards ceremony, festivities moved into Kraft Dining Hall for dinner and socializing. Alums pored over their class yearbooks and connected with familiar faculty, staff, and coaches from their time at Rivers. Tim Clark, Stewart Pierson, Victoria Mizzi, Mac Caplan, Jim Long, and Susanna Donahue P’03, ’06 were all in attendance to reconnect with their former students.  Returning in numbers for their first reunion five years out was the class of 2020. Executive Chef Corey Campbell and team wowed guests with a pasta and gnocchi bar, turkey carving station, and an assortment of festive desserts. 

Boston singer-songwriter Billy Dodge Moody ’05 provided live entertainment for a portion of the evening, performing an assortment of his Americana, soul, and rock music with members of his band.

“It was wonderful to welcome back Rivers alumni from such a wide range of classes,” said Director of Engagement Janet McKeeney. “From 1960 to 2020, it is clear Rivers alums appreciate the education they received, the relationships they formed, and the strong community bond they share.”

View a gallery from the 2025 Rivers Reunion.