President’s Message – June 2024

It’s All About Our Students

At the end of this school year, I’m grateful for many things that have happened for students and English High School. But, before I write another word I want to congratulate our Celtics! I was skeptical this year but they got it done. Just like so many of our English High seniors, they persevered and achieved their goal.

We just graduated 104 COVID-endured seniors this year. Despite wearing masks, not wearing masks and remote vs. in-class lessons, these students have seen it all and worked hard to get through to graduate. The commencement ceremony at the Boston Convention Center was one of the nicest venues to view a graduation capping off a tumultuous year. Hats off to our Alumni speaker Alex Geourntas ’79 and senior speakers who all had heartfelt messages.

Scholarships
One hurdle for many seniors going to college is financial aid. This means scholarship dollars. This is a banner year for scholarships awarded by The English High School Association.  Your brethren have provided five new scholarships this year alone. The many we award is a testimony to your belief that our academics are strong with our graduation rates climbing. Any scholarship amount is helpful to our recipients but the Cullen, Eramian, Brown, Walker, Nollman and Long families all stepped up to raise the bar this year.   

To further help students get to college are two other scholarships: Coach Bill Stewart, Jr. Scholarship for athletes (male and female) and The Stella and Emmanuel Mavridis Scholarships which buttress our renowned Alumni and Friends Tutoring Center (AFTC). This one-of-a-kind program improves college essays and application writing. In fact, the Tutoring Center provided a record-breaking 895 tutoring sessions accounting for acceptances to 37 colleges this year. Over the past three years, AFTC senior essayists have a remarkable 90+% college acceptance rate.
Read more about this year’s EHSA Scholarship Recipients. 

From left: EHSA Chairman Greg Hayes ’67, Head-of-School Caitlin Murphy, EHSA President Mike Thomas ’67 supporting English High at the MIAA State Championship game.

Supporting the Blue and Blue
After winning our 2^nd consecutive City Championship, English High’s  boys baseball team won our first-ever State Championship in Division 5. Avenging their Semifinals loss last year (while undefeated), this year’s team played well in the clutch and outclassed the number-one seeded Georgetown Team, 7-1. The game, played at Polar Park, home of the Woo Sox, Boston’s AAA team, could not have been on a more perfect day and setting for these deserving kids to raise the State Championship Banner. Hats off to Christian Ortiz and his coaches for keeping the kids focused on the final goal. Great job by the nine!

Mike Thomas ’67 and City Councilor Ben Weber with the City of Boston Resolution for Arthur Harold Green ’34

Living Your Best Life
We hope we are all around a long time to enjoy and be proud of our Alma Mater’s achievements. To wit, we have an alumnus who is doing just that. Arthur ‘Harold’ Green, Class of 1934, recently turned 107. He still lives by himself in an apartment in Baltimore but had to give up bowling once a week due to COVID. He’s had a long life worth living and one we can all wish for ourselves. Please take a peek at a recent photo with President Mike Thomas and Jamaica Plain City Counselor, Ben Weber, posing with the Boston City Council Resolution for his longevity and service to our country. He’s our oldest living alumnus!

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