More Than a Bookbag

"It's more than a bookbag. It's an opportunity to encourage a child to strive for excellence on their educational journey and for you to do good in your space," said Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee, founder of the Gbowee Peace Foundation, during last week's kick-off assembly for our sixth graders' greater good service initiative in support of GPF's 2023 Bookbag Drive.

Our mission calls for our boys to aspire "be good men." I often remind the boys that good doesn't equal perfect. It means committing to becoming a better person today than we were the previous day, and for our boys to "do good in their space." Through their work this year for GPF, the boys will manage and run fundraisers to finance backpacks, supplies, and raise uniform money for high achieving first through sixth graders in Liberia. The Drive awards excellence in a country where many children are strong, committed students but have financial hardships that may prevent them from attending school. As part of the project, the Liberian boys and girls and Saint David's boys will also correspond with each other.

Doing good by reaching beyond our school community through projects like the Bookbag Drive is a fundamental way in which Saint David's spirituality pillar presents, and how we become better people. Likewise, in our school-wide Sophrosyne wellness and character course our boys explore the distinction between empathy and compassion, and are given the space to identify their own feelings and emotions, and those in others. They learn that being a good man doesn't apply only when others are watching; and that the Golden Rule, which guides our Lower School boys, sometimes needs to be modified to include treating others how they want to be treated. Lessons center around conflict resolution and self-advocacy, appreciation for difference, and in the Upper School years, how to navigate the many challenges of adolescence, be they peer- or media- or health- related. Deliberate moral introspection through lessons, discussion, and reflection drives the program, which includes periodic hands-on workshops, conducted by Dr. Derrick Gay, our longtime partner in our continuing efforts to build an always stronger, inclusive community.

No single action is rarely as simple as it may appear. It's why basic manners matter; why saying "please" and "thank you" and holding a door open are so important. They convey respect and understanding, honoring the collective humanity of all people. And the bookbag drive is about much more than the bag itself. As Ms. Gbowee said when closing her session with our boys: "It's not 'we're giving a backpack.' I want you to see it as 'I'm contributing to the betterment of the world, everything I've been taught in school.'"

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...

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...

Strong Values

You can feel it in the air: the indescribable yet readily recognizable excitement of the start of a new school year - in our boys, teachers, families, administrators, and staff. Below, I share excerpts from my opening letter that speak to our 2024-25 school-wide theme, "Strong Values:" "To-morrow I cease to be a puppet, and I become a boy like you and all the other boys."* We teach boys. That’s what we do. And we want our boys to think for themselves. And we want that thinking to be rooted in and guided by “strong values”—our school-wide theme this year, found in the last line of the mission’s second paragraph. In keeping with the school’s classical tradition, these strong values are shaped at Saint David’s by the cardinal and theological virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage, along with faith, hope, and charity. To many Western philosophers, possession of these virtues makes a person good, happy, and thriving. Something we want for all of our sons. ...

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

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