David O'Halloran, Headmaster - Saint David's School, New York City

Yesterday evening, the Saint David's alumni community came together in the Lapeyre Family Performing Arts Commons to celebrate one of our dearest traditions,  A Christmas Gathering . This year's occasion featured a special tribute to Saint David's Alumnus of the Year, Bruce H. Lee '79. At the age of 19, Bruce's son Andrew was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer know as HLRCC, which has no known cure. "Andrew was motivated to help others," his father explained. "Following his diagnosis, when he came home from school for Christmas, Andrew said, 'Dad, I have an idea - I'm going to start a non-profit.'" Andrew established Driven to Cure to help others and raise awareness for rare kidney cancers. When Andrew passed away on Easter Sunday, the nonprofit received donations from 160 countries within five days. "To be honored here at Saint David's and to see everyone (classmates, friends, faculty) tonight, is very special t...

Second graders' fall study of art through our collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim culminated on Friday with a gallery tour led by the boys followed by an exhibit of their original artwork. In small groups, the boys presented to parents, faculty, and first graders what they had learned about works by Kandinsky, Chagall, Mondrian, de Kooning, Brancusi and Wright, as well as insights into the artists themselves. I was impressed by the boys' confidence and command of their topics, and how much they clearly enjoyed sharing their knowledge. Later, in the museum's art studio, they presented their own artworks, created in a variety of media, and inspired by the art from the museum's Thannhauser collection. The boys divulged their motivation, challenges they encountered in creating their work, and what they most liked about the project. This experience allows our boys to benefit from firsthand interaction with works of art at the  Guggenheim. They are...

Dali, Altorfer, van Eyck, Vasari, and Raphael...During Friday morning's NBS Lectures on Art Finals, our eighth grade finalists provided in-depth critical analyses of notable works of art by these master artists before an audience of the boys' peers from the Nightingale-Bamford School and a panel of judges comprised of faculty members, administrators, trustees, and art experts. One of four summary projects that the boys complete in their humanities course, the NBS Lectures challenges all of our eighth graders with researching an artwork of their choice and presenting a lecture that includes analysis of several components, such as iconography, gesture, color, impact of the artist, and historical setting. The boys were judged on the quality and depth of their research and analysis as well as their presentation skills and the visual design of their slides. It is no easy task for a boy to undertake such a complex multifaceted project. Each presentation wa...

 To fly through the Universe--a sixth grader's dream! Saint David's sixth graders have begun their study of the cosmos, conducted through our school's  collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. The Digital Universe Field Study is an interdisciplinary research project that blends astronomy, English, and technology curricula. On their first visit, the boys created models of our solar system to scale. They will make regular field study visits to the museum, where they will investigate the Universe using the Museum's Uni-View software, which interfaces with the Digital Universe Atlas, an aggregation of real-time astronomical data captured through advanced telescopes. Working with the Hayden Planetarium's scientists, they will learn to virtually fly through the Universe. Then, in teams of two, the boys will research an astronomy-related question to investigate. They may explore the nature of black holes, or question which planets could be...

What could be a more fun way to begin a Holiday Season weekend than via Saint David' annual Pre-Primary Grandparents and Special Friends Day Sing-along? On Friday, our youngest singers delivered all the beloved classics: from Jingle Bells , to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Frosty the Snowman and more. It was difficult to say if the boys or their grandparents were more delighted. What I love the most about this special event is not only that it is such a terrific Christmas Season opener, but that it is an opportunity for our boys' grandparents and special friends to experience a bit of Saint David's with their grandsons. The importance of these loving people in our boys' lives is immense, and it is always a personal joy for me to witness the strong intergenerational bonds.

Seventh Grade boys had the Guggenheim all to themselves this morning. They capitalized on their special access to the quiet and empty space to sketch elements of the iconic building's architecture. The session is one of several art classes the boys will have at the museum, part of our school's year-long collaboration with the Guggenheim, which also includes units in Grades Two and Eight. The Seventh Grade study focuses on "Learning to See Through Art" and is an exploration of the foundations of observational drawing. The boys learn that observational drawing requires deep focus, effort and practice, and the ability to use their minds differently: to see negative space, to uncover underlying shapes. The unit will culminate with a tour and exhibit of the boys' work at the Museum for Seventh Grade parents in early March. We live in a time of instant gratification and fractured attention spans, with demands that we do everything quickly and then move...

Last week, two cherished Saint David's traditions that kick off the holiday season brought upwards of 200 alumni back to our school and were a reminder of the strong ties in our alumni community. The Young Alumni Chapel and Dinner gathers together our high school age alumni and the current eighth grade for a Chapel talk given by a fellow young alumnus. Held the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving, it is an opportunity for our graduating class and the young alum community to gather, reconnect, and share at the start of the holiday season. This year's speaker, James Wood '11, recent Cornell grad, shared with the boys sports stories from the book Range, Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World , about the importance of trying out different paths in life and of recognizing that failure can be an effective teacher. "Saint David's did a great job exposing me to an array of disciplines that allowed me to figure out who I am, to shape me," he s...