creators

​

The site was the brainchild of former assistant to the headmaster at Boston Latin School, Ron Gwiazda, working with a talented team of current and former students at the school. Much of the initial design work was the creation of Jonah Goldstein '99, working with Libby Black '94, Julia Brookins '94, Brian Mardirosian '94, and over the years the group developed to include Spencer Sanchez '94, John Greene '03, Julie Ng '03, Rob Winikates '04, and Ke Zhang '06. Much of their work was developed on Macintosh computers (eventually leading to the creation of a classroom laboratory for the Facing History course), using Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and Macromedia Flash. They worked with the first Seevak chair, Chris Idzik, and with the current Seevak chair, Judi Freeman.   Many of the members of the design team have gone on to distinguished careers in the design, publishing, and tech industries.

​

Over the years, the site has undergone a number of updates, mostly undertaken by Julie Ng '03, now working in the tech industry.   In addition to accompanying every annual trip by Facing History students to Germany, Julie has kept this site afloat for countless years.   She consistently has brought her immense design and tech talents to keep it current, fresh, and innovative.  

​

the design thinking behind the site

​

the origins of sepia

When learntoquestion was first launched in 1999, Jonah Goldstein '99 was the principal designer and he conceived the site in brown and sepia hues, complementing the sepia-toned Nicholas Nixon photographs which were embedded in the site's design. At the time, the design concept was state-of-the art and unique. Moreover, incorporating NIxon's many photographs meant that although every section of the website featured a unique design, his photographs made the website a recognizable cohesive whole.

In the summer of 2003, the site underwent a major design and organizational overhaul. The 2003 class redesign (left) was designed in a collaborative effort by Judi Freeman and Julie Ng '03. It maintained the sepia tones but also branched out into warmer colors. In the design to the left, photos were arranged in a row of blocks instead of incorporated into a header or design element itself. It marked the beginnings of a minimalist concept. The designers also experiented with expanding colors to the edge of the screen.

​

photography

Photos used on this website over the years have been provided by a variety of Boston Latin photographers, as well as noted professional photographers Mark Morelli, Nicholas Nixon and Cait Stokes. More recent designs also feature photographs by Katarina Yee '02, Ke Zhang '06, Eric Kofman '07, and Lee-Daniel Tran '19, as well as teachers Daniel Gavin, Clara Webb, and Billy Corbett.