As the capstone to their spring semester, our eighth graders take on the Αρχω (ARCO) competition—named for the Greek word meaning “to begin something from something, to step out, to lead.” It’s a fitting title for a challenge that asks each boy to look back at what he’s learned and use it to create something entirely new, entirely his own. The interdisciplinary experience blends scholarship with history, art, analysis, and rhetoric. First, each boy studies a work of art by a modern artist of his choice, writes a brief biography of the artist and a reflection on the process he used to create his original homage, and shares the meaning or message that his work seeks to portray. Often these reflect where the boys are in their lives at this time, grateful for their years spent with classmates and teachers, excited - perhaps a bit nervous - to be on the brink of something new. In the final stage of the project, boys present their work and rationale to a panel of judges made up of prof...