February Short Answer Contest

For the February 1st Issue, The News hosted its third short-answer contest. Upper School students were given the opportunity to respond to the prompt: “Who is Gilman’s greatest alumni?” in 250 words. In a fierce competition, all contestants put their best foot forward. Enjoy reading all the pieces below. Upon the release of the issue, The News will send a poll to the student body, and the contestant who receives the most votes will be awarded a gift card courtesy of the paper.

Luke Kelley ‘26: 

Adam Braverman ‘11 is the strongest candidate for the greatest alumni to walk Gilman’s halls. His aura is unrivaled, and his energy radiates throughout the entirety of the third floor. While it is clear Mr. Braverman could have easily secured a job as one of NASA’s top engineers, he chose to grace the Gilman community with his intellect and God-given gift of teaching. 

Asher Mathai ‘26: 

Gilman's most famous alumni is Marko “Misha” Mihalovic ‘25. Marko, known on the pitch as the “Serbian Rocket,” was a crucial player in Gilman Soccer's success in the 2024 season. The free-kick maestro saved the Hounds countless times. Along with Marko’s superb play, he certainly knew how to dress himself. Whether it was the wrist tape, the cleats, or just being an absolute mogger, Marko was always looking sharp. Going back to the mogging, Marko was one of the first people in the looksmaxxing era. He would be seen at all times of the day mewing or doing other facial exercises to improve his looks, truly a trendsetter. Marko also had the voice of an angel. Debuting at the talent show, many students were convinced that Gilman had brought in Frank Sinatra to perform. Marko now takes his talents to a small liberal arts school in Charleston, South Carolina, where he hopes to score more bangers. Along with soccer, Marko will enjoy Charleston’s overwhelming majority of females as well as the beautiful coastal city. 

James Hobelmann ‘26: 

Mr. Flint ‘07 is the greatest Gilman Alumni of all time. There are many reasons why Mr. Flint deserves this title and I could go on and on about his accomplishments for the school, but I will only say a few. Firstly, without Mr. Flint, our assemblies, plays, and shows would never happen. He runs the show from his lair upstairs, quietly creating masterpieces in assembly. Secondly, his sweet and simple conversations. Whenever speaking with Mr. Flint, you always come away smiling. Lastly and most importantly, his aura. His aura is unmatched. Whenever a tech problem occurs, the student body chants his name. Mr. Flint should be considered the greatest alumni for these reasons. 

Jake Rody ‘26: 

I’ve always known who the greatest Gilman alumni was, even before I became a Greyhound myself. The tales of Reddy Finney ‘47’s grandeur were bedtime stories for me growing up. Headmaster Redmond, affectionately nicknamed Reddy C.S. Finney was the embodiment of the scholar-athlete, attending Princeton, winning the collegiate All-American in both lacrosse and Football, a feat done by just one other human in history, and leading the wrestling team as the heavyweight captain, only riding the bench because the single best wrestler in the nation happened to also be the heavyweight for the Tigers at the time. More than his excellence athletically and academically, Finney was known for his character and humility. At his funeral service, his family remarked that he always walked back into the house with pockets full of trash he picked up, and the middle schoolers used to prank him by putting a piece of trash on a fishing line and seeing how far they could get the headmaster to chase it. If there was a door that needed to be painted, Mr. Finney did it himself. Greatness is often described as wealth or fame, but Headmaster Reddy Finney showed it is a walk of life.

James Zink ‘26: 

Jacob Winebrenner Slagle, class of 1923, otherwise known as Jake, is my hero. Jake was a star of Gilman in his time during the late 1910s and early 1920s. After serving his time at Gilman, he continued his athletic and academic careers at the prestigious Princeton University. At Princeton, he was known as a triple threat. He played fullback, halfback, and quarterback for the football team. He also played soccer and baseball for the Tigers. After his magnificent years at Princeton and countless awards, he moved on to the NFL, where he played with the Pottsville Maroons. After an extremely successful athletic career at Princeton and in the NFL, he returned to Princeton to serve as an assistant dean and assistant football coach. He then returned to Gilman to be a backfield coach for the football team. This adventurous and successful journey is why Jacob Slagle is my G.O.A.T..

Spencer Oddo ‘26: 

I would say the greatest Gilman alum has got to be Charlie “Chope” Pope ‘21. The kid was an unstoppable force on the lacrosse field and also was an absolute bruiser on the gridiron for the Hounds as well. Coach Van Zile showed us a clip of Rayuan Lane returning a kickoff for a touchdown, but he zoomed in on Chope laying devastating blocks up and down the sideline, paving the way for Lane to take it to the house. As for lacrosse, he made his presence known, being probably a 210 lb guy while still being one of the fastest on the team. I had the pleasure watching, or as the kids say now, glazing, at him as an eighth grader. I’d say he’s known most for his iconic “Chope crease dive” and hopefully we get to see that in full effect this spring as he’s suiting up for the Tar Heels. But yeah, that big guy is probably the greatest alumnus in my eyes.

Walton Staley ‘26: 

Although Gilman is a brotherhood and we all will share experiences about being Gilman men later in life, not all Gilman alums are the same. There are some legendary names depending on your walk of life. Lacrosse players will probably say Marcus Holman ‘09, Piper Bond ‘18, and Charlie Pope ‘21. Football players will say Cyrus Jones ‘12, Thomas Booker ‘18, and of course Dejuan Lane ‘24. There is only one alum that rises above the rest, a person that unifies the student body and gets people to drop their differences in life to come together. This person is Mr. Jack Bowmaster ‘18. Not only does he have arguably one of the best last names you could ever have, he’s also the new cool cat coming back to bring his swagger back to campus. Anytime you have a conversation with him, you know exactly what you’re going to get. A great Gilman guy that will always be able to match your energy.

Jax Winstead ‘27: 

Mr Gouline ‘00. He’s pretty smart for a football player.