Distinguished Alumnus; Four Star Failure
Eighty percent of all Russian boys born in 1923 were dead by 1945, or so states a recent article. Although without citation, it’s a reasonable figure given the former Soviet Union’s total estimated losses of 27 million in the war with Nazi Germany. Nothing in the...More Woke; Less Science
Where the Belmont Hill bell stood for 91 years, there now sits a marble bench bearing the inscription: “This bench represents our clear intention to engage with ideas and symbols from our past and establish a future that reflects inclusivity and a sense of belonging...Lost: Grace under Pressure
Textual analysis of the “Per Aspera ad Astra” (through adversity to the stars) letter does not give the full story concerning the bell’s removal, which was precipitated in haste in response to new student demands presented in the wake of the George Floyd incident and while the School’s campus was rather isolated from its larger community by the pandemic…
For Whom the Bell Tolled
By a letter dated August 11, 2020, to the Belmont Hill Community under the heading “Per Aspera ad Astra” (through adversity to the stars), Jon Biotti, President of the Board of Trustees, and Greg Schneider, Head of School, announced the removal of the Belmont Hill bell from the campus…
The Belmont Hill Bell
My father recorded the arrival of the Belmont Hill bell (Memories, p. 17):
“It was also in either the second or third year of the school that the big bell near Bolles arrived. Mrs. Atkins arranged to have it shipped…