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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.'"


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