On the weekend of May 5, Boston Latin School honored alumni with an array of celebrations at its 20th to 75th year anniversary reunions.

On Friday, students performed in Prize Declamation and alumni heard from Head of School Jason Gallagher. Alumni also had the opportunity to meet current students and staff in the classroom. Members of the Class of 1973, returning for their 50th year, participated in the Golden Diploma Ceremony and paid their respects to fellow classmates.

The following day opened with academic sessions, including a handful of TEDx-style Capstone presentations from seniors.

Sofia Daffin (I) presented her Capstone project to the alumni and screened a documentary she created, which explored hair discrimination within the United States  — specifically, its effect on Black youth in schools. Daffin explains, “In a lot of ways, the alumni who had come by, were just genuinely very interested […] and passionate about hearing students’ voices.” 

BLS Nurse Ms. Ellen Moy-Maneikis (‘73) explains that both she and her husband, another graduate of BLS, love returning to the school’s foyer and going up the marble staircase. 

As part of the first class to include young women, Nurse Moy-Maneikis recalls, “We didn’t feel welcome. […] We had one bathroom, we had no locker room.” Despite these past challenges, Nurse Moy-Maneikis reflected that student support and student-teacher relationships at BLS have improved significantly. 

She adds that her BLS education has helped her later in life: “I know people do not love declamation, public speaking or the rigor of the academics here, but I think it really prepares you for the real world.”

Former Ambassador Lawrence Silverman (‘73) also spoke to students in the Schwabel Center about his extensive foreign service experience. Having served as U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait and worked in many Middle Eastern countries, he encouraged students to consider careers in foreign service. His BLS experience, he explained, taught him the importance of having a respectable and trustworthy reputation within the professional world.

In addition, many BLS graduates have returned to teach and give back to the school, including AP Biology teacher Mr. Lawrence Spezzano (‘93). These teachers were happy to reconnect with fellow classmates who did not return to the school. Mr. Spezzano shares, “It was nice to check back into that community, and to hear from people I hadn’t talked to recently.”

Reunions give former classmates a chance to catch up with one another and reminisce on their experiences at BLS. As the seniors graduate, the value of reunions becomes more apparent, and many former students concur that they are a great way to stay connected to their school community.