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

We are beginning week five of all in-person learning and it has been an absolute joy to have the boys and their teachers back at school where they belong, thriving, and happy. The sights, sounds, and spark of young boys' learning buzz around us, albeit at a distance of at least six feet. Last week our Pre-K boys were farmers for the day, driving "tractors" to their class pumpkin patch in our backyard, riding a "cow," and sharing stories about farm life -- fortunate to be able to engage in active learning activities with each other.   Eighth graders, embarking on their micro/macro exploration of human anatomy, dissected cow eyes and learned how to become adept with the tools that surgeons use, via a virtual session with one of their classmate's parents, who is a surgeon. Dr. Decorato introduced the boys to their instruments —probe, forceps, scalpel, surgical scissors—and directed them in the purposes and proper grip for each, using...

I would like to share an excerpt from the article "Contrapposto" that appears in the current issue of Saint David's Magazine. Written by alumnus Blaise Haddad '12, it speaks to our school-year theme of resilience. On our first Eighth Grade trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ms. Iannicelli brought us directly to Gallery 154 to visit the Greek kouros. This marble youth, with its classical simplicity, its perfect proportionality, and its contrapposto stance—that inescapable Italian word—would prove essential for our class, launching us forward into history. But it meant something more as well. The kouros, Ms. Iannicelli told us, is tied to every Saint David’s boy, embodying his journey as he graduates and steps into the wider world. Its arms rigid at its sides, torso erect and strong, it moves perpetually forward while holding fast to its foundational precepts. The Saint David’s boy, she said, must come here first whenever he visits the Met. No exceptions.  I’ve bee...

The following is my first Chapel Talk of this 2020-2021 school year: In the childrens’ book "A Perfectly Messed-Up Story" by Patrick McDonnell, little Louie, the main character, just wants to merrily skip through his story singing happily, but he keeps getting interrupted by messes—jelly stains on the pages, peanut butter, fingerprints. He just can't believe it! Little Louie’s story is not going the way he’d hoped. Little Louie's struggles remind me of the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus who wrote that “he who learns must suffer.” Learning is change, and change isn’t easy. Even in normal times, it requires some degree of discomfort. During this pandemic, it’s compounded ten-fold—for all of us.  Resilience is that ability to bounce back, to swim not sink, to bend not break in the face of significant, sudden or unexpected challenge or change, hardship or struggle—like a tree in strong wind or shock absorbers on a bumpy ride. It demands a strong c...

Day One of our 70th year; never in the past could we have imagined! For this first day, half of our student/teacher population, the Theta group, came to school in-person, while our other cohort, Pi, attended school virtually. Tomorrow they will switch, and we look forward to welcoming our Pi students back to campus. Today's in-person group wore face coverings, kept a safe distance from one another, and followed the stringent health and safety protocols we have implemented in accordance with CDC, NYDOH and NYCDOH guidelines. Yes, it was different; but also reassuring and exciting. The boys were happy - happy to be back with their friends and their teachers, beginning the cultivation or continuation of relationships vital for their academic and personal success. At the same time, the Pi cohort had the opportunity to gain some experience with our virtual model, as Theta will tomorrow. This familiarity will be helpful should we need to pivot to a virtual schedule at any po...

A Few Members of Horizons at Saint David's Class of 2020 in earlier year of program. As we proudly celebrate our first graduating class of the Horizons at Saint David's program (most of whom have been with the program since kindergarten), we also reflect on the unique accomplishments that have been achieved amidst a challenging time. This spring, family engagement rose to new heights and our diligent team, led by Executive Director Hope Lippens, assisted Horizons families to secure necessities that ensured their safety and well-being. We also created the "Horizons at Home" program to encourage continuity in communicating weekly charts of activities to keep students active on all fronts (academic, physical, and arts). As part of this initiative, the "Pen Pal Project" allowed students to send in letters and pictures to their peers. With the need to run the program virtually this summer, every student had his own device, thanks in large part to our S...

As we settle into the summer with an eye to the upcoming school year, our faculty are participating in a series of professional development workshops, led by Jamie MacNeille and Nora Sundar. Reflecting upon and sharing what worked best in our spring distance learning platform is helping us to evolve the delivery of our curriculum in ways that amplify relationships, increase student engagement, and promote student agency regardless of the platform--virtual or in-person. During yesterday's "Toolbox Share," faculty shared new tools and techniques they employed to attain several educational outcomes, among these: an app that enables boys to write, illustrate, and narrate - in Spanish - books about animals, which they can then share with each other; iMovie tutorials that boys can rewatch to deepen understanding and practice new art skills; circle talks where boys come together to share their thoughts and feelings; podcasts that engage boys' imaginations and ...

Our 39 new graduates made history last week. A class unlike any other, they were graduated in the midst of a pandemic. As I said during Friday's live virtual ceremony, they have wrestled with the course of time and triumphed. Since mid-March, this special class of boys had not been together in-person. However, through their diligence, fortitude, and positivity, they remained close in spirit. During many sessions this spring on Zoom, the Are You Smarter Than an Eighth Grader  quiz show included, the virtual walls seemed to give way and, among the dialogue and the laughter, it felt like all was as it should be. Having gone through this challenge was not easy, but it has bonded these boys more than they may yet realize. This was evident in their ready smiles at graduation. As is tradition, each graduating class leaves a gift to Saint David's. The Class of 2020's legacy gift is a pair of rubbed bronze lanterns to illuminate the Graham House doors. It is a fitting gif...