Chapel lies at the heart of a Saint David's School education. When I visit alums across the country and ask them what they most valued at Saint David’s it is, inevitably, their time in Chapel that hits high, if not highest. Whether listening to a moral lesson delivered in a personal story laced with values, reflecting quietly, being present with peers and teachers, or participating in the ambiance and routine of Chapel’s simple service, our boys treasure the Chapel experience. Chapel Talks are typically given daily by a teacher or an alum.
Each year in the spring, consistent with our school-wide goals of increasing the boys’ oral presentation skills, interdisciplinary study opportunities, and cross-grade integration, we work together across Religion, English, and Library/Research departments to teach a Seventh Grade Signature Unit of study entitled Agents for the Good.
An important component of Agents for the Good is the Chapel Talk, which I teach. Seventh Grade boys and I work together over a five-month period to critique and define characteristics of an effective Chapel Talk and develop one targeted to a specific audience. Each boy then delivers his Talk, employing effective public speaking skills. The Chapel Talk must clearly present a central lesson or moral that incorporates elements of the school’s mission, a chosen Bible passage, stories, or anecdotes from the boy's research on a person of any or no faith tradition who is or was an “agent for the good.” The boy then needs to connect all of this with something personal, original, or interesting that would relate his message to the audience—a tall task to say the least!
I look forward to all of the boys' Chapel Talks this spring, for messages like these resonate strongly. So many Agents for the Good walk among us right now--in particular, the myriad health care workers and first responders who are giving of themselves tirelessly, each and every day, for the good of others.