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.'"

Resilience in the Teaching of Languages

Above: The Nerf microphone ball enables boys learning remotely to hear their classmates well. The pandemic has challenged educators to reinvent and reimagine units of study to keep learning engaging, regardless of how it is delivered. The following article, written for Saint David’s Magazine by our Modern Languages Chair Dr. Victoria Gilbert and Lower School Spanish teacher Flor Berman, addresses how this was done in the Spanish immersion language program at Saint David's. Ms. Berman and Dr. Gilbert, recipient of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers' Ruth E. Wasley Distinguished Teacher Award, presented on the topic at NYSAIS’s Flexible Classroom Conference last summer. How Spanish Classes Have Bounced Back Resiliency implies an ability to bounce back, but as teachers working with the youngest learners in the school, we would reframe resiliency as the opportunity to reimagine. Whether boys are learning through a face-to-face experience or through the med

The Role of Faith in Social-Emotional Learning and Psychological Well-Being

The following article by our School Psychologist, Dr. Michael Schwartzman, appears in the current issue of Saint David's Magazine : During one of my first observations in a Saint David’s classroom 15 years ago, I witnessed two first grade boys in a verbal altercation. Although it was contained just between the two boys, their observant teacher had them talk it through and then shake hands on being in a better place for having done so. I was very impressed, and still am, with this approach that the school takes many times throughout the day. It helps establish a firm idea of how to behave, especially in social situations where emotions can be stirred and run high. Through this experience repeated consistently day in and day out, better, more productive ways of engaging become increasingly integrated by the boys as they develop socially and emotionally in interaction with each other. As the School Psychologist, I spend a lot of time thinking about the touch points for student and t

Storytelling Demonstrates Understanding

Their time had arrived. As the lights dimmed in our Otto-Bernstein Theatre, the astrophysicists, a mix of jitters and excitement, awaited their opportunity to share insights and stories about the workings of the universe. Which planets might support life? Is there water on Mars? What are Dwarf Planets? "Let's take a look at our closest neighbor, Venus," invited one presenter, before revealing that the planet - while ideal in proximity - has surface temperatures of 900 degrees F: "Imagine - standing on the surface would be like being burned alive!" Later that same day, in our Graham lunchroom, early 20th century immigrants of all ages from Italy, China, Ireland, Russia, among other countries, waited, with hope and determination, their turn to be interviewed for admittance to America. It wasn't going to be easy. They would be asked pointed, potentially life-altering questions by various processors. "What's that cough? It doesn't sound good,&qu

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

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