SPECIAL: SENIOR ISSUE
BROTHER RICE
V OLUME 59, I SSUE 7
Chieftain
M AY 2020
Farewell, from a Senior
I miss every single thing about Brother
Rice. I miss seeing Mr. King sitting in
his desk in the hallway, I miss worrying
whether Mr. Williamson will notice that
I am not wearing a belt, I even miss my
sprint to the car after school. But above all
else, I miss the Class of 2020.
Being away from Rice for this long has
given me time to refl ect on some of the
qualities that made this group of young
men so special. More than anything else,
my classmates have
made me laugh,
whether that be
from initiating a
full-court press
on Mr. Kuras, Ben
Oliphant leading a
class in the sing-
ing of sea shanties,
listening to Tom
Mulroy’s incred-
ible impressions,
or hanging out
with Mr. Galli in
the locker room
before games. Hav-
ing a good sense
of humor allows
other people to
understand and
empathize with you in a way that they
wouldn’t be able to otherwise.
The amazing sense of humor in our
class has allowed us to grow that much
closer as brothers. And that is what we
are. This is not simply a graduating class,
this is a brotherhood that we have spent
the last four years forging.
In this brotherhood, we have a glut of
incredibly varied talent. Every person in
this class adds something special to the
mosaic that is the Class of 2020: a gift for
hockey or robotics, basketball or biology.
This brotherhood is not defi ned by one
single trait, but rather the synthesis of
many. In a different group of people, our
B R OTHE R R IC E H IG H S C H O O L C H I E F TA I N
differences may drive us apart; our class
has brought people together that seem
like the unlikeliest of friends. I could walk
into the lunchroom and sit wherever,
knowing that someone I enjoy talking to
would sit down next to me.
The Class of 2020 has produced some
remarkable individuals: A Division 1
basketball recruit, a hockey Player of the
Year fi nalist, an Imperial College of Lon-
don student, and an inordinate number
of students that will be attending the
University of Michigan (see map, Page
4). This is not just a symbol of an individ-
ual’s hard work, but the culture of high
achievement that this class has adopted.
When I decided to attend Brother Rice,
I was worried that I wouldn’t fi t in with
the so-called “jock” culture. These doubts
were dispelled almost immediately, as it
was never “cool” to do poorly in class,
and everyone, from the biggest football
stars to David Liu, would support each
other in every class, from Freshman
speech to AP Physics II.
The bond that we have formed would
not have been possible without the
P AGE 1
classes and events this incredible school
offers. Where would we be if it weren’t
for all of the steps we’ve accumulated in
Mr. Kase’s class? Would we be the same
if the terror of oral quizzing in Mr. Filo’s
class didn’t fi ll our minds at night? Or if
we didn’t know about Tony Twico?
The faculty at Rice have been in-
strumental in the development of this
brotherhood, giving us a high level of
instruction and acting as role models and
mentors. We owe
our success to Mr.
Naumann’s weird
air fresheners, to
Mr. Venos’ taped
stick, and to Mr.
Ciesielski’s danc-
ing. The faculty
pushes us to be at
our best in every-
thing that we do,
in the classroom
and in our extra-
curriculars, which
have been some
of our defi ning
moments. Kairos,
as always, is an
experience that
is completely
unforgettable. You cannot fi nd Field Day
at any other high school. IM basketball
with Mr. Kuschel is a cornerstone of the
Brother Rice experience.
Finally, a few notes to the underclass-
men. To the freshman, good job on
completing your fi rst year at Brother Rice.
The transition to high school is never
easy and fi nding new friends and adapt-
ing to harder classes is a bit of a struggle.
However, this is only the beginning. Keep
working hard, listen to Sr. Marie and all
of your counselors, and good luck.
To the sophomores, some more advice:
See SENIOR LETTER, Page 5
S E N I O R I S S U E 2020