“I remember the shorts. Always wearing shorts no matter what the weather was. I remember how generous he was with his time. The semester after he took the AP Computer Science course, Isaiah would sometimes just drop in after school for an hour or two to help people with their work. I remember that he loved to learn, he loved to have fun, and he seemed happiest when he was sharing with others.”

– Mr. McGlathery, computer science teacher

“Isaiah was brilliant, in every sense of the word. He took pleasure in moving against the current, and anyone who was friends with him would find themselves laughing and going with him. We loved each other.”

– Juliet Pepe ‘15

“Isaiah was as passionate and committed as he was caring and funny. I coached him as a rower on CRLS Crew and then taught him in Honors Algebra 2 and Honors Precalculus. As a California native, I thought it would be unthinkable to wear shorts in the middle of winter (much less walk outside in it?!), but Isaiah was made of stronger stuff. In addition to his athletic achievements, Isaiah was an accomplished student and would always challenge the mathematics. His curiosity seemed insatiable. I consider it a high honor to have coached, taught, and just known him.”

– Mr. Caimi, math teacher

“Isaiah, you were one of my best friends, and it’s hard to believe you’ve already been gone a month. You were funny, incredibly kind, and a loyal friend. You lived just a few minutes walk away, and I spent so much time with you that your house became a second home. Thank you for all the late night video game playing, cooking, and movie watching memories you gave me, we miss you dearly.”

– Joshua Nolan ‘14

“I remember Isaiah well…He was always positive and upbeat. He always wore shorts—even when it was freezing and the snow blocked sidewalks. His college essay was about always wearing shorts and the number of conversations and friendships the shorts had helped spark. Isaiah was kind and generous. He was a student who always said “thank you.” I have a memory of him holding the main front door one morning as streams of students came in. Although not everyone said “thanks,” he stood there with a smile and a “good morning”—for a good while.”

– Mr. Finn, guidance counselor

“My friends and I spent a lot of time this summer at Isaiah’s house. Sometimes we were there so much that we felt bad monopolizing his parents’ living space, but I’m glad for the memories we made there. We would play ping pong and pool, watch old VHS tapes in the common room of his apartment, play rap songs and make fun of each other’s music tastes (and occasionally find common ground), and oftentimes were up so late that we’d end up making a whole dozen eggs at 2:00 AM (I always thought it would he easier to just make some pasta, but when Isaiah made up his mind about something, there was no persuading him otherwise). I know my life will never be the same, but I’m thankful to have known Isaiah, and to his parents for letting us make these memories with him.”

– Emmett Vorspan-Stein ‘14

Special thanks to Learning Community C and Joshua Nolan ‘14 for facilitating the gathering of quotes. This piece also appears in our October print edition.