Above and Beyond showcases the life of Phil Reavis – a Somerville native, Olympic athlete, long-time educator, and one of the first people of color in Somerville with a public space named in his honor. Reavis broke records as high jumper, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, coached Vietnam's 1964 Olympic track and field team, and enjoyed a long career as a teacher, coach, and musician. A world traveler, Reavis now divides his time between Somerville and Macau, China. The Somerville High School’s athletic field will be named The Philip Reavis, Sr. Field.

This exhibition is a collaboration between the Somerville Museum and students from the Somerville High School Local History Club, led by teacher Adda Santos. In 2020, History Club students and Museum staff and volunteers collaborated to create an exhibition called The Basement Project: Not Your Usual Basement Junk, where each student selected an item from the Museum’s collection and wrote about its history and significance. This project was nationally recognized with a 2021 Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). Nominated by the Museum, Adda Santos was awarded the 2020 William Spratt Award for Excellence in Teaching Secondary Social Studies from the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies.

Upcoming Programming

Opening Reception: Thursday, June 8, 6–8pm | $5 admission fee; free to Museum members and children 18 years of age and under (valid for this exhibition only). Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Space is limited per fire codes and visitors will be granted access on a first come first served basis.

Curator Talk: Saturday, June 10, 5–6pm | $10 admission fee; free to Museum members and children 18 years of age and under (valid for this exhibition only). Space is limited and tickets must be purchased in advance.

Juneteenth Special Open Hours: Monday, June 19, 12–3pm | Poetry reading by Phil Reavis from 1–1:30pm followed by student poetry slam from 1:30–2:30pm; $5 admission fee; free to Museum members. Space is limited, tickets can be purchased in advance.

Closing Reception: Saturday, July 8, 12–3pm | $5 admission fee; free to Museum members. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Admission:* $5 for exhibition; $10 for events; free to Museum members unless otherwise specified; free to children 18 years of age or younger (valid for this exhibition only).

Exhibition Hours: Thursdays 2–7pm, Fridays 2–5pm, Saturdays 12–5pm, Sundays 12–5pm** Please check the calendar for daily hours and events.

*Admission fees benefit the operations of the Museum and its programs. 

**Sunday hours for this exhibition only; First Fridays of the month are free to all courtesy of the Community Preservation Act.

Student Curators 

Class of 2023: Ellie Davis, Ryann Mack

Class of 2024: Adwoa Ampere, Ruthanna Kern, Lillian MacArthur

Class of 2025: Michael Gomez, Ella Wilczek

Adda Maria Santos-SHS History Teacher + Local History Club Advisor

Link to pictures and bios

Somerville Museum Staff + Volunteers

Alison Drasner (Asst. Director), Laidy Saenz (Art + Culture Asst.), Melissa Gay (Intern)

Charan Devereaux, Cynthia Frawley, Maddie Short + Grace Heffner

Collaborators

Phil Reavis Sr. + Phil Reavis Jr.

Link to picture and bio

Press

Somerville Public Schools, “SHS Graduate and Former U.S. Olympian Phil Reavis Sr. Visits Somerville High School,” October 31, 2022

The Somerville Times, “Update: Somerville to name new high school field after Olympian Phil Reavis Sr.,” May 26, 2021

CBS News Boston, “He Broke Records And His Family Broke Barriers: The Push to Memorialize Somerville Olympian Phil Reavis Sr.,” May 21, 2021

Wicked Local, “Somerville’s Philip Reavis: Olympian, Teacher, Public Servant makes his mark to better the world,” April 9, 2021

The Basement Project: Not Your Usual Basement Junk

Student Curators 

Class of 2020:
Mozn Shora-she, hers
Alex Leite-he, his
Brian Jian Chan-he, his
Owen Hughes-he, his
Lola Vira-she, hers
Elisa Dimagiba-she, hers

Class of 2021:
Silas Booth-he, his
Isaías Hernandez Rivera-he, his
Esmay Pricejones-she, hers
Isabella Milanowski-they, their

Class of 2022:
Marisa Lopez-she, hers
Ana Kawsar-she, hers

Class of 2023:
Ryann Mack-she, hers

Adda Maria Santos-SHS History Teacher + Local History Club Advisor

This program was supported in part by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by Mass Cultural Council.