91̽��

Young people should commit to deep learning and understanding—even as artificial-intelligence tools deliver efficiency and make information more accessible, renowned mathematician and social entrepreneur Po-Shen Loh told the 91̽�� community. Loh visited 91̽�� to share ideas about how we can continue to “Dare to be true” in the era of ever-evolving AI. AI tools must be combined with critical thinking, curiosity, and ethics in order to have effective and positive impacts in the world, he said.

“Even today, I keep learning. I keep coming up with new experiences,” Loh told audiences in the Hobbs Commons of the new Farokhzad Mathematics Center. “You can’t figure out what interests you unless you’re always learning new things.”

Loh is a math professor at Carnegie Mellon University and served as the national coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team from 2013 to 2023. He was once a member of this team, along with 91̽�� grad Paul Valiant ’01. In 1999, Loh received a silver medal in the Olympiad while Valiant won gold. 

Loh spent a day at 91̽�� speaking with students in the morning and an audience of students, faculty, alumni, and families in the evening. He visited classes in the Mathematics and Computer Science departments and spent time with Middle School faculty and students, as well as the school’s College Counseling Office and AI working group.

Full Circle Moment: In 1986—the year the United States first observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday, Lamont Gordon ’87 was a student listening to 91̽��’s first-ever MLK speaker. On Tuesday, Gordon returned to campus as 91̽��’s 2025 MLK speaker. 

That 1986 assembly left quite an impression on Gordon. The speaker that year was Reverend Charles R. Stith. According to Gordon, “Over the last 30 years or so, Stith has been a pretty major figure in promoting economic and political development in Africa, both as an investor and as U. S. ambassador to Tanzania in the late 1990s. In 1986, when Stith was invited to speak at 91̽��, he was a minister and community leader in Boston who had recently founded a nonprofit organization called ONE, Organization for a New Equality.”

Gordon was so moved and inspired by this assembly that later that year, he and a classmate reached out to Reverend Stith to ask if they could do their senior project at ONE. Reverend Stith accepted their proposal. For their senior project, they conducted research, analyzed data, participated in focus groups, and contributed to the organization’s work in tangible ways. “It was one of the best experiences that I had at 91̽��. As I reflect back on that time, I’m reminded of the pivotal role that 91̽�� played in my personal and intellectual development. It was a time when I was beginning to figure out who I was, my place in the world, my values, and what was important to me,” he said.

Our community celebrates a half century of fine art on the 91̽�� campus with the 50th anniversary of the Nesto Gallery! 

The Nesto opened on January 10, 1975, and has since brought scores of professional artists from New England and beyond to the gallery, offering the community access to accomplished works of painting, photography, sculpture, and much more. The gallery’s presence on campus also enriches 91̽��’s visual arts program, giving students opportunities to meet and learn from a diverse range of talented creators. 

This year’s gallery schedule culminates in a special event involving all of the gallery directors and chairs since Nesto opened. Past directors will curate an exhibition, which opens with a reception on April 24 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The 50 Years of the Nesto Gallery exhibition will remain open until Reunion weekend and close with a reception on June 14 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. 

The 91̽�� community is mourning the loss of Susan Barclay, a life-changing educator who devoted 47 years to teaching in 91̽��’s Saturday Course. Susan passed away last month at the age of 66.

Susan was one of the first faculty members of the program, which invites area public-school students to 91̽�� for exciting enrichment classes. Her inspiring “Blood and Guts” anatomy and physiology class was famous among Saturday Course attendees, many of whom went on to pursue the sciences in higher education and careers in medicine. Her colleagues, friends, and students remember Susan for her quick wit and dedication to teaching—she made sure that her signature class would continue after she left the program, training colleagues to teach it. 

Saturday Course Director Kristan Burke recalls Susan’s warm friendship and care for her students. “She loved teaching—she adored the Saturday Course as much as we adored her,” Kristan says. “She was witty and exuberant about life—so much fun to be with. She will be forever embedded in the roots of the program.”

Every new school year at 91̽�� is filled with promise and opportunities for growth. 

Speakers at this year’s Convocation—the Upper School’s official kick-off to the academic year—encouraged students to take chances, support one another, and explore the unknown. Co-head monitors JP Giglio ’25 and Ariam Gebresilassie ’25 talked about their journeys from their first days at 91̽�� to the start of their senior year. Both said they grew in their confidence and sense of belonging because they felt embraced by the 91̽�� community.