When Baker students and staff returned to school after winter break of 2024-25, they were in a state of shock after the loss of beloved math teacher Matt Goldstein. In the time since, the community has worked to support grieving students and commemorate Goldstein’s legacy.

Students, including sophomore Phoebe Sacks, created a GoFundMe and raised money for a bench in honor of Goldstein that was placed outside Baker. Additionally, Baker teacher Lisa Karalis spearheaded a project to win a grant from the Bruins Foundation, founded by the Boston Bruins hockey team, to renovate the Baker staff lounge in Goldstein’s name.

Former Baker principal Torrance Lewis said he knew Goldstein for much of his career and has supported the Baker community after Goldstein’s death by visiting the school and connecting with students and teachers. He said the staff lounge and bench are great ways for students and staff to gather and cope with the loss.

“It’s a place of healing,” Lewis said. “I think it’s a wonderful way to honor him. It seems like it’s going over very well at the school.”

Karalis said when she saw the opportunity to raise money for the staff lounge through the Bruins Foundation, she entered and wrote about how Baker could “use the revitalized space for the staff to come together to support each other.” Embellished with plaques of Goldstein and inspirational quotes, Karalis said the space is a place where people come together.

“We often have Friday breakfast together, and I think that’s exactly what Mr. Goldstein would want to see: people supporting each other, connecting and making school feel like a place where it’s really about the community,” Karalis said.

In the aftermath of Goldstein’s death, Sacks said they wanted to do something to honor Goldstein. Goldstein was their teacher in sixth grade, and even when they moved to a different Brookline school for the rest of middle school, they visited him almost every Wednesday. After his death, they said they found comfort in the Baker community and realized they were not alone in grief.

“I think it was nice to have other people that wanted to do something for him too,” Sacks said. “We wanted to make a GoFundMe and to take action to make sure people remember him and what he did for others.”

Karalis said the news was an extremely emotional experience for both Baker staff members and students, as she thought Goldstein was a foundational person who maintained a positive attitude towards everyone.

“Mr. Goldstein was really known at Baker for being a teacher who was a support for every kid,” Karalis said. “Every kid knew that he was a math teacher, but above that, he was a person who really cared about the whole child and the whole human that you were.”

For Lewis, who has many memories of his time with Goldstein, the one that stands out the most is when Goldstein advocated for the middle schoolers to participate in the Halloween costume parade by wearing their costumes, just like the elementary school kids did. Lewis said that, like this example, Goldstein was always looking for ways to make students feel involved.

“One of the strongest aspects of Mr. Goldstein as an educator was that he was very kid-centered and relationship-centered and understood what young adolescents need,” Lewis said.

“Bright” and “cheerful” were some of the words Sacks used to describe Goldstein’s demeanor. They said that he checked in on each student to make sure they understood what he taught.

“He was one of the best math teachers I’ve had. He was really supportive of everyone and grew close to a lot of the kids,” Sacks said. “Especially for the people who grew close to him, [his death] was really hard.”

Lewis said that throughout this difficult time, it was most important for him to be visiting Baker and being a friendly face to school staff and students.

“You have to be strong for the students,” Lewis said. “You’re in charge of them. So it’s important for adults to create a sense of security, comfort and tenderness that students need. A lot of people don’t know this, but [when dealing with grief], consistency and normalcy is what students need.”