Everyone else stared at their paper while Noah Restivo, a senior, looked around the room with frustration, yelling. At times, a few voices answered him with half rehearsed emotion. Restivo glimpsed down at his paper to remember a few lines, but his speech stayed smooth. He continued to motion excitedly and stalked across the stage, already embodying the character of John Proctor: loud, commanding and blunt. Proctor is the protagonist of the play The Crucible, and the townspeople know him for his honesty. But unbeknownst to most, he had an affair, which takes place before the play and sets the stage for the witch hunt. Although it is a month before the play, Restivo was in character, and learned much of what it meant to be Proctor.
Wherever he goes, knowledge sticks to Restivo like glue. His list of accomplishments is extensive: National Merit Semifinalist, drum major in the band, president of the Recycling Club, lead actor in the play and contributor in Academic Challenge. Restivo brings his intelligence, thoughtfulness and unique style of confidence to all his activities.
Restivo succeeds in his classes due to his sharp mind. His creativity helps him in and out of school. One time, he had to build a pendulum the morning of a Science Olympiad tournament. With no time to go out and buy materials, he improvised and made it out of cardboard. While this quick thinking is invaluable to Restivo, many marvel over another mental capability of Restivo’s: his memory. In the past few years, many of his friends and teachers have been surprised by how accurate it is.
“A lot of people have said I have a photographic memory. . . . The best way to explain it is that it’s confidently there. It’s just concrete,” Restivo said.
Restivo is also in Revere Players. Players, which holds practice nearly every day after school, is his creative outlet. Restivo has held lots of lead roles in Players and is excited for this year’s play.
“[The Crucible is] dark, but I mean, it’s got a really touching message and it’s about goodness and what it means to be a good human, even if the law doesn’t think so,” Restivo said.
He explained that the first week of Players with no script, off book week, is very stressful for most, but he has never had to worry much about his sudden lack of a script. He recalled another time in Players where his memory helped him out after another actor forgot his lines.
“I just remember sitting there and having a picture of the script so clearly, and I knew what everyone’s lines were supposed to be. And so I just started saying my lines in between to prompt other people to say their lines. And that was a moment where I was like, I know this,” Restivo said.
He joked that vocabulary quizzes have never been too difficult for him. Restivo wants to be a mechanical engineer or go into aerospace engineering, where he believes his quick thinking will serve him well. But even within math and science, he has put his memory to work.
“[AP] Chem, Chapter Five: Nomenclature. I just remember I sat down on that test and I had the whole list in my head. It was just the whole paper. . . . I have a zoomed out image of the paper, and then I can zoom in on specific parts that I want,” Restivo said.
His photographic memory helps him in Players, too. The Players have begun practicing different scenes from The Crucible. The Crucible seemed depressing at first, but learning more about the characters, Restivo has changed his mind. He explained when he gets to know the characters his perspective shifts.
“It’s learning about how the characters feel and what motivates those plot points. . . . It’s about learning about how the characters going through it view it. . . . You feel sad for them. It’s not all about, like, this is super dark and depressing,” Restivo said.
Restivo immerses himself in his character. He said this has helped him understand who Proctor is and what he wants. He even says that for each play, he goes through the emotional trip that his character goes through.
“You feel good when they feel good and you feel bad when they feel bad. . . . All [Proctor] wants to do is just help and make things better. And he just wants to keep his head down. And I actually very much relate to that . . . being at a bad place in your life and just trying to keep your head down and wanting things to get better,” Restivo said.
While Proctor may seem like a bad guy, Restivo has started to soften regarding his character. While Proctor has done wrong, he tries to make up for it, and some parts of his character are pretty universal.
“I think everyone’s been there, you know. Everyone’s made a mistake and they’ve just tried to fix it. Everyone’s been at the point where they need to keep their head down for a little bit. So I think he’s a relatable character,” Restivo said.
Restivo also participates in Academic Challenge, where students compete to answer trivia questions against other schools. This year, Jeff Fry, history teacher and Academic Challenge adviser, is hoping to utilize Noah’s knowledge this upcoming season.
“Noah has been a member of the team for I think every year, and he’s been juggling Academic Challenge and his thespian activities and the plays and musicals. But this year we’re going to try to make it so that he can really participate in Academic Challenge because he’s pretty good,” Fry said.
In Academic Challenge, judges award teams more points for answering quicker. Some of Restivo’s biggest contributions come from answering questions quickly. Fry noticed that last year, Restivo answered questions quicker.
“He seemed to step up a little bit and get faster with the buzzer, which was a pleasant sign,” Fry said.
Restivo possesses a wide range of knowledge. His math and science classes are his favorites, but he has learned a lot from classes like AP US History and AP English Language and Composition. He credits crosswords for much of the random information he knows.
“My grandma loved doing crosswords and unfortunately three years ago she passed away. . . . I promised my mom that I would try and do the crossword every day with her because my grandma loved crosswords. . . . To be honest, it’s really dumb stuff that I don’t think anyone should ever know, but man, it comes up in Academic Challenge,” Restivo said.
He credits Jeopardy as his other large source of random information. But Restivo is very active and he picks up new habits and knowledge from his different communities.
“I do a lot of activities outside of school . . . that get me submerged in a lot of different communities and you just pick up a little bit,” Restivo said.
Restivo is talented academically, but he also devotes time to other things he enjoys. Ty Muehlfeld, a senior who participates in Band with Restivo, is one of Restivo’s closest friends. They have had many classes together, so Muehlfeld has seen Restivo’s mental prowess at work, but he often sees the more laid back version of Restivo.
“Noah in recent years has become a really big fan of football. He used to be super academically focused, but as of late, he’s really gotten into sports and more stuff like that. And he’s dedicated some of that memory storage to a lot of sports info,” Muehlfeld said.
Muehlfeld explained how Restivo applies his intelligence to his love of football. Muehlfeld himself is a football fan, and Restivo’s knowledge of the game has impressed him.
“He’s got a lot of interesting things to say on certain arguments or debates relating to sports that I never would’ve thought of or have never seen,” Muehlfeld said.
Muehlfeld and others regard Restivo highly, but Restivo is not boastful. He knows his strengths, but he stays humble. He is also not afraid to make fun of himself either.
“I’m probably the oldest seventeen year old you’ll ever meet. I have back issues. . . . My vision’s terrible. I’m going to go to bed at ten o’clock at night. I’m looking forward to getting home and drinking a cup of tea while sitting next to a fire and doing crosswords,” Restivo said.
Restivo’s character goes beyond self understanding, creativity and intelligence. Muehlfeld values Restivo as a great friend.
“The most important thing to know about Noah Restivo is he’s one of the kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever met,” Muehlfeld said.
Whether Noah Restivo is acting in the play or answering academic challenge questions, he brings a depth of knowledge and thoughtfulness with him. He leads as drum major and president of Recycling Club. He uses his memory to help him out in school and his other activities, but his character is what sets him apart. His friends appreciate him and his teachers value his contributions in and out of the classroom.
Click HERE for more Lantern coverage on students in Revere Players.
