Commonwealth School is a private high school of about 155 students and 35 faculty members located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. History Charles E. Merrill Jr., son of the founder of Merrill Lynch, and brother of the prominent American poet James Merrill, founded the school in 1957, locating it in Boston's Back Bay to "restore good secondary schooling to the city." He encouraged Commonwealth students to be "decent, socially responsible, generous people," actively engaged in public affairs. For some decades after his retirement, Merrill returned to the school once a year to give a speech on a topic of his choice, and his books are on display in the school library alongside those of Commonwealth alumni. Merrill insisted that the school has only one rule: "No rollerskating in the halls,"—an exhortation that students should not "...act like a damn fool, but think about your actions and how they affect others." Merrill retired in 1981, and his memoir of the first 23 years of the school's history and his experience as headmaster, The Walled Garden, was published the following year. Symbols The school's symbol is a mermaid with a sword and shield, derived from the coat of arms of Warsaw, Poland. This symbol appears on the school flag, publications, and the outside of the building. There is no official school song, but "The Spacious Firmament On High" (Joseph Addison, Joseph Haydn) is sung each year at the opening of school and at the graduation ceremony. Heads of school There have been six heads of school: 1957–1981: Charles E. Merrill Jr. 1981–1983: Joseph "Jay" Featherstone 1983–1990: Charles Chatfield 1990–2000: Judith Keenan 2000–2021: William Wharton 2021–present: Jennifer Borman Clubs and activities Student-run clubs and groups at Commonwealth include: Chess Club Commonwealth Chronicle (Newspaper) Community Service (Commonwealth Cares) Coding Club Debate Team Diversity Committee Environmental Committee Evil Genius Club Football Club Gender-Sexuality Alliance Literary Magazine (Helicon) Math Team Model United Nations Model Congress Physics Club Prom Committee Robotics Club Yearbook Committee Each year, the rising senior class elects two non-voting representatives to Commonwealth's Board of Trustees. The other grades elect two members as well to explain issues within their grades to the two representative seniors. Performance In its September, 2009 issue, Boston magazine named Commonwealth as the best private high school in eastern Massachusetts. Academically, the school