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

Each spring, our eighth graders eagerly take to the stage in pairs to engage in structured competitive debates about pressing public health issues that raise complex ethical questions. Consider a few from this year: Performance enhancing drugs should be allowed in American professional sports leagues. The U.S.  should invest in new nuclear energy facilities for the sake of public health.  Social media companies should ban the use of their products by children younger than 16 years of age to preserve their mental health.  The actual debate comes at the end of a learning process that begins with the boys framing questions, picking sides, doing research on a timely and relevant public health issue, and practicing various debating strategies. As they research, argue, and reflect on complicated public health issues, they learn to think critically, speak persuasively, and grapple respectfully and thoughtfully with opposing viewpoints. In their opening statements, arguments, reb...

“Volunteering with second graders in the Horizons program has been one of the best experiences of my life.“  — Garrett R., Saint David’s Class of ’23.  “Horizons is a community where you are encouraged to be curious, where everyone can develop their confidence.”  — Mohammad O., Horizons Class of ’21 Garrett, a rising senior at Westminster School, and Mohammad, who is pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, recently addressed attendees at the 15th anniversary spring celebration of Horizons at Saint David’s. The celebration honored our Founders Circle of 25 families, individuals, and foundations whose generosity and commitment have been instrumental to the launch and continued success of this program.  Fifteen years ago, during our 60th anniversary, we had asked ourselves what Saint David’s School could do institutionally to serve the greater good beyond our internal community. This was the impetus for ...

 Are you a skeptic, a blind adopter, or somewhere in between?  As parents and educators, we are particularly concerned about and invested in how AI technology should or should not be used by our children. What does the “right” use of AI entail - when, where, why, and how?  At Saint David’s, we are approaching AI use in education through the same critical thinking, values-centered lens that guides all our decision making. How can we ensure that values such as integrity, honesty, hard work, and relational learning guide our approach to AI? Given that young minds are developing, how can AI be used wisely and appropriately so that the foundation of learning is preserved and critical thinking cultivated? A critical thinking approach requires not moving quickly in this space, but slowly, carefully, and with intention. Such intentionality aligns with our incorporation of technology across our academic program: its use is restricted to when it materially enhances and deepens lea...

Each year, our seventh-grade boys and their fathers or father figures gather for a special evening event at school: The Father/Son Book Talk. The evening features a distinguished speaker/author who delivers an inspirational talk related to our school mission or theme. This year’s theme, “excel,” was the perfect fit for our featured speaker, Ms. Carla Harris.  Ms. Harris is Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, where she has managed and executed billions of dollars of equity and equity related transactions, a successful Gospel recording artist who has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater, and a popular public speaker. In 2013, she was appointed by President Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council. She is also the author of Expect to Win (2009), Strategize to Win (2014) and Lead to Win (2022) .  Inspired early in life by her grandmother’s advice to "give her all" to every endeavor, no matter the size, and her father’s loving exhortation to “make sur...