Four of Cambridge Rindge & Latin School’s most esteemed educators were honored with Faculty Distinction Awards at CRLS’s graduation on Thursday, June 9. Members of the Class of 2022 nominated the teachers for having notably positive influences over their high school years. CRLS Principal Damon Smith announced the recipients’ names, read their bios and wishes for the graduates, added quotations from students, and presented framed certificates to the teachers as they took the stage during the ceremony at Russell Field. 

In the weeks leading up to the presentation, CRLS deans collected nominations and comments from students, who praised the educators not only for their engaging teaching styles and regard for students’ academic growth, but also for their dedication, encouragement, and caring for students as individuals.

Ms. Jessica Hatlen has been a Special Educator at CRLS for five years and has been an educator for 16 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University (2002) and a master’s degree from Wagner College (2005). Students describe Ms. Hatlen as an “understanding,” “comforting,” and “really compassionate teacher who makes learning interesting” and “cares about your wellbeing.”

Mr. Evan Milstein-Greengart has taught English Language Arts at CRLS for five years and has been a teacher for seven. He has bachelors’ degrees in English and Psychology, a master’s degree in Secondary Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership. Students describe Mr. M-G as a “joyful” educator who “cares about each student as a whole person and puts effort into communication,” “will go out of his way to make sure you are doing your best,” and “is an angel disguised as an English teacher.”

Dr. Benji Cohen graduated from CRLS in 2007 and returned in 2018 to teach History. In the interim, he received degrees from Tufts University (2011) and the University of Virginia (2017). Students describe Dr. Cohen as “the most wonderful teacher, with an amazing, sharp sense of humor and a very welcoming classroom” who is “always willing to help students with any issue even if it is not related to his class,” “goes above and beyond to help you achieve,” and is “always in a good mood.”

Mr. Ramazan Nigdelioglu has taught Freshman Physics and AP Physics at CRLS since 2008. He is also the faculty advisor to the Muslim Cultural Club. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics, and two masters’ degrees, one in Business Administration, and another in School Leadership. As a Turkish native, he first came to Boston in 2002 as a Fulbright Exchange Teacher. Students describe Mr. N as an “incredibly supportive and kind” teacher whose “love of the subject and teaching show” in the way he “makes physics really fun to learn.”

Friends of CRLS has sponsored the Faculty Distinction Awards for 16 consecutive years, since 2007. This year’s quartet puts the total number of awardees at 64. See full list of awardees here>>.

Friends of CRLS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting opportunities for the public high school’s students, staff, and graduates. The Faculty Distinction Awards program is one of the organization’s five programs, with the most substantial being College Scholarships, through which Friends of CRLS is presenting $80,000 to members of the CRLS Class of 2022. For more information, please visit focrls.org.

Angell, CRLS Class of 2021 Friends of CRLS awardee of the Maria J. Tavares Memorial Scholarship, now enrolled at UMass Amherst (Photo by Janis Navikas)

Updated 2/16/22

Friends of Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, Inc. (FOCRLS) is preparing to present scholarships totaling $78,750 in 2022. Hundreds of donors and sponsors − individuals, families, organizations, and businesses − have contributed to the 53 scholarships FOCRLS is distributing to CRLS seniors and alumni in support of their higher education.

See our list of scholarships here.>>

This year FOCRLS is welcoming sponsors of two new scholarships. 

Ramie Targoff & Stephen Greenblatt recently established the Cheri Kamen Memorial Scholarship in the Humanities. Professor Targoff said, “This scholarship is in memory of my beloved mother, who studied American History, both as an undergraduate and as a graduate student before going on to become a lawyer. I wanted to honor her commitment to the study of the past by encouraging female students graduating from CRLS to pursue the humanities at the university level.” 

Eileen Taxe Levine & Irving Lee Levine recently established the Scholarship for Equity & Social Justice as a way, the Levines said, “to recognize the commitment and dedication of CRLS students who have been working towards equity and social justice in the Cambridge community. We want to honor the power of their voices, courageous actions, and hopefulness. We support and thank them as they enter this next chapter of their lives.”

Other sponsors of scholarships to be presented by FOCRLS in 2022 are Patrick Ewing, Juliette Kayyem & David Barron, Neil B. Rosenburg, Elaine Schear, the Leydon family, Mary Tavares Sutula & family, Naveed Rahman & Caroline Butler-Rahman, Debjani Banerji, Richard G. Gilreath, the Gardner family, the Zagarella family, and Gail Stein. Collectively funding scholarships are family members and friends of Rose & Victor Rifkin, Dr. Christopher Saheed, Dr. David A. Link, Calvin Hicks, and John Chiros.

In addition, Cambridge Day, CambridgeSeven Associates, Cambridge Trust, Fresh Start Contracting and Tutoring Plus are local organizations that annually fund scholarships.

Thank you all of our scholarship sponsors for their generosity and support for the students and graduates of Cambridge Rindge & Latin School.

To learn more about FOCRLS’s scholarship program or establish a scholarship, please visit focrls.org or email scholarships@focrls.org. FOCRLS is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.

Thank You to Salman, our youth from the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP). He’s been gathering interviews with our 2020 scholarship awardees and Bash event sponsors. Being able to share the impact that college scholarships make in students’ lives and some of the reasons sponsors decide to support Friends of CRLS’s programs will help us raise funds for future College Scholarships, Faculty Innovation Grants, and Student Travel Fellowships.

Here’s a bit about him:

“My name is Salman, and I am a rising junior at the Belmont Hill School. My favorite sport is soccer and I have been playing competitively for about 10 years now. I am from Cambridge and attended VLUS for middle school and went to the Haggerty School for elementary school. I am very excited to be working with Friends of CRLS this summer!”

Enjoy the rest of summer, Salman, and have a great junior year!

(Photo courtesy of Salman Yonis)

Friends of Cambridge Rindge & Latin School (FOCRLS) would like to share with the community an appreciation of Christopher Saheed, who was a key collaborator in forming our organization. As the high school’s principal at the time, he provided invaluable advice and encouragement to Elaine Schear and Donna Spiegelman, the two CRLS parents who founded our non-profit in 2006 to support opportunities for students, graduates, and faculty. “Although we were brand new CRLS parents when we approached Dr. Saheed about starting a non-profit, he didn’t flinch. He even made sure FOCRLS had an office at the school,” said Dr. Schear. “We soon were offering grants to faculty for innovative projects – his idea for how to support a range of students and faculty and become visible at the school. This was Chris: purposeful, down-to-earth, supportive.” Since 2007, FOCRLS has awarded Faculty Innovation Grants, each up to $1,000, to 235 teachers, club advisers, counselors, librarians, social workers, and administrators for projects expanding the curriculum beyond the normal budget. 

Dr. Saheed, who held degrees from Tufts, Suffolk, and Harvard universities, retired from CRLS in 2011 and then moved to Florida.  He succumbed to pancreatic cancer on June 25, 2020, after a three-year battle.

When FOCRLS reached out to James Maloney, Chief Operating Officer of the District (Cambridge Public Schools), for a memory about Dr. Saheed, he responded, “I had the good fortune of working closely with Chris during his years as the principal of CRLS on the renovation of the high school. I was struck by his calm, knowledgeable and caring demeanor. All of the buildings on the campus today reflect his vision for the school. In many ways the high school campus is a living memorial to his passion for the students of Cambridge. He was a tremendous leader.”

In honor of his retirement and through the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, FOCRLS established a scholarship named after Dr. Saheed.  Since 2012, FOCRLS has awarded fourteen of these $1,000 scholarships to ease college costs for academically and financially qualified CRLS seniors planning to pursue careers in the field of education. FOCRLS has expanded our scholarship offerings each year, with 38 college scholarships totaling $55,500 awarded to members of the CRLS Class of 2020 with a range of aspirations and backgrounds. 

Jesse Lowe, Class of 2020 awardee of the Dr. Christopher Saheed Future Educators Scholarship, said, “Dr. Saheed sounds like an incredible man, and reading about his life makes me even more grateful to be receiving an award in his name.” Jesse, whose parents are both also educators, will be starting at Clark University this fall.  

Around the time of his diagnosis, Dr. Saheed contributed $5,000 to the fund, becoming the sponsor of the annual scholarship from 2018 through 2022. Several of Dr. Saheed’s friends recently donated in his memory, some providing moving tributes.

Ed Hashek and John Jors said, “Christopher and his husband Stephen Nonack have been our best friends for a number of years. He will be truly missed – such a generous, intelligent, and caring person.”

Dr. Saheed shared 43 of his 67 years with Stephen Z. Nonack, who also studied at Tufts University ⎼ where the two met in 1973 before making their relationship permanent in 1977 ⎼ as well as Simmons University and UMass Boston, and built his career at the Boston Athenæum as an archivist and librarian.

“Dr. Saheed was a gentle, inspiring educator, and an exceptional human being,” said friend Patrick Ladden, an educator and museum director. “It took many months before he disclosed his own background and education achievements, as he mostly was enthusiastic to talk about CRLS, not himself.”

Dr. Saheed’s enthusiasm, generosity of spirit, and caring personality will be missed by numerous people, and even those who never had the pleasure of meeting him will continue to feel his influence.

To help carry on the Dr. Christopher Saheed Future Educators Scholarship, please visit this donation page>>.