Mr. Horwitz went to BB&N, and as a fellow ISL student, he played Belmont Hill each of his five years on the Varsity baseball team. These games ended in a 4-1 record in favor of Belmont Hill, despite Mr. Horwitz’s best efforts. Two years ago, however, he entered arch-rival Belmont Hill as an English teacher. Mr. Horwitz came to love Belmont Hill, saying that, “it makes sense that Belmont Hill wins every year. It’s the whole vibe of the school. There’s so much competition and so much love in the brotherhood. Everyone is bought in, and that’s great.” Mr. Horwitz explains that the pride in the school and the culture of the student body is unique to the Belmont Hill community, and he has never seen anything like it.
Mr. Horwitz taught two sections of English II, an English IV class and a Form V Creative Writing class. His favorite part of his classes is the makeup of the groups, which can only be found in the English Department. Here, he describes the discussions as “organized chaos,” where students can have fun and bond with each other while also learning about the topic at hand, whether it be a graphic novel, poetry, or a new style of writing. “My favorite memory is when a student returned to my class an hour later, during X Block, to continue a class discussion,” Mr. Horwitz says, and the fondness is because it showed the true investment in the content and how his students were learning to love books. The environment that he cultivates in his classroom is one of comfort and promotes risk-taking, which leads to a closer class dynamic and more thought-provoking discussion. Mr. Horwitz’s goal this year was to teach his students that reading and writing are something that can be enjoyed, and that students learn that “thirty minutes of free time is just as well spent reading as anything else.”
In addition to teaching English, Mr. Horwitz coaches the Varsity baseball team. He is incredibly proud of their performance this year, regardless of the outcome of the season, because of the turnaround from last year. Mr. Horwitz explains that it was hard last year, as COVID really hurt the team environment, and they struggled to perform to their expectations. This year, however, the team came together and changed the outlook of the program, and he describes, “The environment [of the team] is great. The fact that everyone is invested and looking out for each other it’s awesome.”
“I’m grateful for my time here, I really am. I love this place so much.” Mr. Horwitz explains that his time at Belmont Hill was a memorable and important experience. At the end of the year, he is embarking on a new journey into the business world, where he plans to work as part of a company that provides consultation for schools and businesses seeking new CEOs or positions of leadership. Here, Mr. Horwitz will work with the company and develop the type of leader the company needs and who is a good potential candidate for the job.
Mr. Horwitz has spread knowledge, fun, and helped students learn more about the material and the subject of English itself, as well as helping the baseball team to become a great and successful team environment. He has helped Belmont Hill students develop and hone their skills on the diamond and around the Harkness. The Panel thanks Mr. Horwitz for his support and help over the past two years, and wishes him the best of luck in all his future endeavors.
