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

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested all of us in ways that we could never have imagined just a few months ago. We have all been pulled away from our regular routines and practices, and forced to learn, work, and live very differently. Saint David's School is in its fifth week of distance learning. Throughout this strange time, our boys have continued to learn, grow, and collaborate with each other.  Supported by their teachers, the administration and, most importantly, their families, they are doing well. While it may seem like we've been in this "new normal" forever, it's only been a matter of weeks. As time goes on, the emotional toll can increase and negatively impact us. In this environment, it is important to be sensitive to and aware of our boys' emotional well-being, as well as our own. Toward this end, Saint David's recently held a virtual town hall in which our Consulting Psychologist, Dr. Michael Schwartzman, shared approaches shown to ef...

Chapel lies at the heart of a Saint David's School education. When I visit alums across the country and ask them what they most valued at Saint David’s it is, inevitably, their time in Chapel that hits high, if not highest. Whether listening to a moral lesson delivered in a personal story laced with values, reflecting quietly, being present with peers and teachers, or participating in the ambiance and routine of Chapel’s simple service, our boys treasure the Chapel experience. Chapel Talks are typically given daily by a teacher or an alum. Each year in the spring, consistent with our school-wide goals of increasing the boys’ oral presentation skills, interdisciplinary study opportunities, and cross-grade integration, we work together across Religion, English, and Library/Research departments to teach a Seventh Grade Signature Unit of study entitled Agents for the Good . An important component of  Agents for the Good  is the Chapel Talk, which I teach.  Seven...

How quickly and dramatically our world has changed since the beginning of this school year. No one could have imagined back then that today we would be implementing a distance learning program for our boys, while facing such challenging, stressful times. Our first "virtual" school day went exceptionally well, with just a few bumps on a heretofore untraveled road. Much gratitude is due our faculty, staff and administrators who spent their spring breaks mastering new technology platforms for instruction and adapting existing curriculum in innovative, creative ways that are the mark of a Saint David's educator. Their efforts honor the integrity of our program, keeping it as whole as possible. I feel incredibly fortunate to be working alongside such a talented and dedicated team. Institutions are tested in times of crisis and tend to rise or fall as a result. Saint David’s will rise. While our boys may not physically be in their classrooms with their classmates and o...

Here at Pasquale’s Rigoletto on Arthur Avenue, the Class of 2020 enjoys Italian cuisine before touring The Cloisters. A great way to spend a New York Friday in lieu of a Roman one.

On Friday evening, our PA Benefit took us "Behind the Mask."  The festivities at the iconic Plaza were remarkable in every way: the arresting and inventive decor, the on-point video, the lively auction, and the spirit of our "true community" coming together to celebrate the importance of respect for our true selves. In a fast paced and competitive world, we can often feel pressure to be someone we aren't. At times we may don emotional masks that obscure our true selves. As challenging as this may be for us, it is even more so for our sons. Let’s continue to build a community where our sons can be accepted and celebrated for who they are, not who we wish they were. 1 Standing in this truth, our boys will find not only respect for themselves and each other, but also discover beauty in a life lived authentically. Behind the Mask was made possible through the devotion of a legion of parents working over a multitude of months. On behalf of a grateful co...

How do you really know how someone else, with different upbringing and life experiences thinks and feels? How can empathy be cultivated? It is not easy. Respect lies in the heart of a good man, and empathy lies at the heart of respect. In order to cultivate a healthy understanding and appreciation for difference, we must learn to view the world through others' eyes, feel their experience, walk in their shoes. One of many ways that schools can help cultivate empathy is through inventive programming that enables students to see the world through different lenses, to become the "other." Our third graders have been stepping into the shoes of immigrants as they learn about immigration in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. They visit Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum, and work with our art history partners from the New-York Historical Society on a collage and letter writing project that explores immigrants' emotions and experiences. The unit culminat...

William Burke '10 returned to Saint David's this morning to speak to our fifth graders and their moms or special friends about the mother-son relationship. Will, a graduate of Regis and Georgetown who works as an Analyst at BlackRock, reminded our boys of the instrumental role their moms play in myriad aspects of their daily lives. Using the experience of boys who play hockey as an example, he observed, "Mom is always there, she's your gear sponsor, your Uber to the games, rooting you on during the game and waiting afterward with donuts and hot chocolate." Win or lose, a son's biggest fan is his mom. As he referenced our school's mission, Will remarked, " Ut viri boni sint  (that they be good men)  are beautiful words, but how do we learn to be a good man?" He noted that the boys can learn from teachers, coaches, and other students, while adding that they receive vital wisdom, support, and guidance from their mothers. "Behind e...