HOS Ryan S. Dahlem Inspires Students to Finish Strong

Dahlem made note of the journey from fall to spring. “Beginnings are important, so it was vital for me to connect with you early in the year, especially in my first year as Head of School,” said Dahlem. “But endings are important too, so I wanted to connect today as we enter the last month of school.”

Dahlem spoke to the fullness of spring on campus, noting all that transpired over just the previous weekend in the Rivers community. This included 18 sports competitions, spanning Middle and Upper School spring sports. He praised the impressive JV softball team win, 23–3, and a varsity victory with a walkoff RBI hit by Ayla Torres '25. In the span of 48 hours, so much had transpired: “We held an AAPI movie night, Middle School overnight sleepover in the library, and Middle School musical rehearsal. Our Upper School Select 1 Jazz Combo competed at the MA Association for Jazz Education State Competition and won gold,” said Dahlem, eliciting applause. The highlight of the weekend, he said, was attending a “phenomenal” Caroline’s Coffeehouse, named after Caroline Grape ’18, which he described as the essence of Rivers—creative risk-taking in a safe and supportive space.  

Dahlem also gave the nod to students for their work on the AISNE self-study, one of the most critical inputs to the school’s accreditation and strategic planning processes. He thanked them for sharing their voices, filling out surveys, participating in focus groups, and letting professional community members shadow them during their days. For the latter, Dahlem shared a photographic journey of his time shadowing Middle and Upper School students and spoke about experiencing extraordinary faculty firsthand as well as the challenges of a busy Monday schedule of back-to-back classes.  

Dahlem shared initial data coming out of the surveys, including striking just the right balance between both “Excellence” and “Humanity” for both Middle and Upper school students, which aligned with data from the professional community. Additionally, data suggests overwhelming affirmation for Rivers faculty, with emphasis on key descriptors emerging such as “helpful,” “caring,” “kind,” and “supportive.” An overwhelming majority of students responded that teachers support their learning either “well” or “extremely well.”  

Research also indicates that while a high percentage of students feel a “strong sense of belonging” at Rivers, a smaller percentage of students expressed “little or no sense of belonging.” Dahlem said he sees this as an opportunity for the community to do better in continuing this work, particularly with underrepresented students. Conversations continued with students in division meetings this week, as this work is both immediate and ongoing. 

Early themes that emerged from the focus groups included: a strong appreciation for the efforts of adults in the community; advisory being an important component of helping to build community, opportunities for adjusting the weekly schedule for balance, and a desire for more campus diversity and small-group equity-and-inclusion work. 

Dahlem provided a recap of the many successes this year, before emphasizing the year is not over yet. “This week we will turn the page to May,” he said. “I know that has a special ring to it for seniors, as May 24 has been on your calendars for a long time. I share your excitement for all that lies ahead, yet I am counting on you to lead the school to the finish line.”

Finally, he asked the students to think about an important question: What will you make of May? “How will you engage?” he asked. “How will you lead?  How will you make Rivers even more inclusive? How will you continue to share your voice?” And he left students with a message that perhaps serves as an answer to all those questions: “Finish strong.”