What the World Needs Now

Community is the human glue that binds us in good times and bad. It is never too early to invest in its cultivation. Even better is when it is worked into the curriculum, paying educational and socio-emotional dividends.

Our kindergartners delve into a 360-degree exploration of community. They study themselves, their families, their school, and its surrounding community.

On a tour of their school, they are introduced to the various departments, their functions and the "village" of people who "make it happen" for all of us at Saint David's. The boys travel beyond the walls of Saint David's during visits to Central Park, St. Thomas More Church, the Guggenheim, a Fire Station, and a pizza parlor. At each stop, they come to know the people and shared purpose behind the organizations and their contributions to their community.

They also master new vocabulary, learn historical facts about the sites they visit, and draw real-world connections to their own lives.

During their culminating event yesterday, the boys presented a show for their parents celebrating their learning. They were so happy and self-assured onstage, sharing tidbits of knowledge and little-known facts about their New York City neighborhood and singing related songs, like Sesame Street's "Sing" (during which they revealed that the original Big Bird - the late Bob McGrath - was once a music teacher at Saint David's.)

On the surface, the community unit is simple. The boys are getting to know their neighborhood. Look deeper, and its complexity is apparent. Boys are learning facts, drawing connections, recognizing the contributions of everyone in society, reinforcing values, building confidence. When they put on their show, they also are experiencing the interrelation between "art" and "life."

Most importantly, interwoven with their learning is this essential value of connection. Research tells us that boys thrive when they are connected to their families, their school, each other. At Saint David's we seize every opportunity to deepen academic experiences in ways that augment and spotlight the good in a society of caring individuals. It's what they world needs now. Ut viri boni sint.

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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