Tour of Traditions Day Introduces Students to Belmont Hill’s History

First Form students at Belmont Hill often get some sense of the rich history of the School by seeing the senior panels on the walls, the various memorials and landmarks, and of course the iconic Hamilton Chapel. Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, and Lauren Hamilton, Dean of Teaching and Learning, recently came up with the idea of devoting a day to introducing the boys to some of these important traditions on campus and explaining their meaning. Hence, the Tour of Traditions Day was created with the inaugural event occurring October 3rd.

The day began with Middle School Director Tim Sullivan and teacher Joe LaLiberte ’14 (who ran the day) giving an overview of their plans for the presentations. Mr. Schneider then greeted the boys and spoke about the sextant, the prominent school symbol. Next was a presentation by Steven Kaplan ’83, who explained the history of panel carving on the Hill.

After milk and cookies the day continued with Upper School Director Don Bradley speaking to the boys about the War Memories both in the academic quad and the Chapel. Michael Sherman and Associate Head of School Michael Grant then spoke respectively about the Henry B. Sawyer, Jr. ’32 Bench and the G. Clifford Goodband, Jr. Bench. Retired longtime Latin teacher Ken Martin ’65 then led the boys into Hamilton Chapel where he detailed the origins and history of this central building.

The boys then met Caleb Collins ’93 in the Jordan Athletic Center where he delved into the story of the “You Matter” flag. A presentation by history teacher Juliette Zener and Bryce Anderson ’19 followed, where the boys learned the history of a bell that was once located on campus, and about the decision to remove it from campus in the summer of 2020. After lunch, the boys traveled by bus to Robbins House in Concord where the bell now resides. The Robbins House is a historic early 19th century house formerly inhabited by the first generation of descendants of formerly enslaved African American Revolutionary War veteran Caesar Robbins, and by fugitive slave Jack Garrison.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for our First Formers to get an in-depth tour of the important landmarks on campus that are such important parts of the history of the School,” Mr. Sullivan said. “The boys were very engaged during the presentations, and enjoyed a great learning experience.”