Collaboration with Dr. Derrick Gay to Deepen a Culture of Inclusion and Respect

Dr. Derrick Gay, internationally recognized consultant on issues of global citizenship, diversity and inclusion, ran several workshops for our community this week.

Tuesday, he met with our boys in Grades Three through Eight for sessions focused on the cultivation of empathy, which built on previous equity and inclusion work in Sophrosyne classes.

Discussions drew from the boys' exploration of intent and impact, and how personal identity can affect the impact of words. The boys applied this framework as they considered: What is the difference between intent vs. impact? Is one more important than the other? How can we recognize and stop harmful and unkind jokes?

Dr. Gay also spoke with our parent community and faculty/staff, presenting the latest research highlighting educator, parent, and caregiver perceptions regarding the degree to which young children are aware of differences - ranging from gender and socioeconomics to family configuration and race - relative to what children actually report understanding about themselves and others. He led faculty and staff in several exercises and discussions that examined knowledge and perceptions about race.

Dr. Derrick Gay, Assistant Headmaster Alexis Aoyama, and Co-Director of Inclusion, Diversity and Community Pedro Morales.

All of these sessions were thought provoking and advance our school's efforts, in this fourth year of our collaboration with Dr. Gay, to deepen a culture of inclusion and respect at Saint David's.

The Wisdom Within - A Matter of Trust

The Teaching Boys Initiative (TBI) is a cornerstone of Saint David’s School’s strategic vision, aimed at developing a robust framework of evidence-based best practices in boys’ education. The initiative’s primary goal is to empower educators with the knowledge, skills, habits, and dispositions of reflective practitioners, enhancing their professional growth and the overall quality of teaching and learning for boys. In TBI's new quarterly blog series, "The Wisdom Within," our faculty share stories that inform, inspire, and encourage reflective practice using evidence-based approaches in teaching and learning for boys. The following inaugural entry, "A Matter of Trust," was written by reflective practitioner and Master Teacher Tom Ryan, who has been inspiring generations of Saint David's boys for more than 53 years. A MATTER OF TRUST …but, I digress. I cannot possibly begin any writing piece, and/or class, without some digression that, as I have said to my s...

"The Wisdom Within" - Bringing Sound to Space

In the second entry of our Teaching Boys Initiative's quarterly blog series, "The Wisdom Within," Saint David's reflective practitioner and Master Teacher Cathy O'Neill explores the pedagogical power of play in the education of young boys. BRINGING SOUND TO SPACE It began with a mound of mangled metal and the vapor of a vision gleaned from recent comments and random fact-dropping by the Pre-K boys. Unsure of what exactly I was looking for, but fueled by the idea of a makeshift rocket to dovetail with our upcoming space unit, I gingerly picked through the scrap pile until my hands grazed an old VW control panel devoid of its dashboard. Eureka! An array of knobs, dials, and buttons - while in reality, dead as doornails - in the right small hands, would become the epicenter of our NASA-inspired dramatic play corner. With a couple of lawn chairs and some old CB radio microphones to round out the set, engines would be ignited by the power of imagination. All systems go...

Jack Mullin '12 : Reflections on a Mom's Love

The Chapel talk tradition at Saint David's provides faculty and alumni with the opportunity to share with our boys meaningful and inspiring personal stories: their experiences, lessons learned, challenges overcome. The annual Fifth Grade Mother-Son Chapel gathers our fifth-grade boys and their mothers or mother figures for a special shared pre-Mother's Day experience; a Chapel Talk by a young alumnus who reflects upon the role his mother has played in his life. This year, we welcomed former Student Council President Jack Mullin '12. Jack's family has deep roots with school. His older brother Patrick graduated in '08 and his dad, Terry, in 1973. Jack's talk centered on the impact both his alma mater and his mother, Immy, have had on his development into the man he is today. Below are excerpts that I would like to share: "My family's multi-generational lineage is a testament to the incredible sense of community Saint David’s fosters, and I too hope I have...

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

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