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

Alumnus Billy Hult '83, president and board member of Tradeweb Markets, a global leader in electronic trading, shared his business expertise and insights at Saint David’s Networking event Wednesday evening. Billy credited Saint David’s, which he said, “leads with empathy and compassion, while also being results-driven,” with having inculcated in him recognition of the importance of balancing the two in business. “I learned at an early age what it takes to succeed,” he said. He also recalled fondly his experiences in sports at the school and the many Saint David's teachers who made a positive impact on him.   In 1997, when the Internet was a new phenomenon, Tradeweb was founded with the idea that it would provide a more efficient alternative to trading treasury bonds by phone. Hult joined the company in 2001 as a product manager and directed its entrance into electronic trading of mortgages. The now publicly traded company operates in 40 markets, providing access to d...

  “True resiliency means you were able to make a bigger table for other people to see their own greatness as well. ” This key message was delivered last night by Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood, one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the nation, and bestselling author, combat veteran, and social entrepreneur. Mr. Moore provided a riveting, inspiring talk via Zoom for our graduating eighth graders, their parents, and the alumni/alumni parent community on resilience, this year’s school-wide theme. The evening marked the 17th annual Alumni Parents Council Lecture Series event; this year renamed for the first time in honor of alumnus Eric Wu ’14 (R.I.P.), in celebration of Eric’s short but meaningful life. Lauding the graduating class for their ability to adapt during this curve ball pandemic year, Mr. Moore observed a great lesson from this pandemic: that the only certainty in life is inconsistency, surprise, and the need to adapt. As he reflected on the unpredictability of life, Mr. ...

Kindergartners "visited" markets throughout Southeast Asia when class mom Nadia Arumugam stopped by virtually to read the book  Market Day  to Ms. Rossiter's class recently. The boys loved learning about the typical foods and wares sold in the markets of a number of countries including The Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.    The book read-aloud and discussion is an initiative by our Parents Association’s Committee on Community and Inclusion (COCI) that invites parents to read a book that shares their family’s cultural traditions. COCI is devoted to nurturing a strong sense of community among Saint David’s families, broadening all students’ knowledge of various cultures and traditions, and engaging them in activities reflecting the diversity of the country we live in. Thanks to COCI Committee Co-Chairs Maria Suarez and Kavita Dolan for creating this special, personal way for our boys to learn about the different cultures and customs of their f...

  " My barn having burned down, I can now see the Moon.”* Last week, I met with the Class of 2021—gathered together in Otto-Bernstein Theater for the first time this year as a whole class—to commend them for their incredible resilience, their scholarship, sportsmanship, creativity, and faith, before introducing a special upcoming “Adventures in New York” week we have planned for them. I opened my remarks with the quote above, fitting because Michael Collins’ passing was announced earlier in the morning. Collins was the third of three NASA astronauts who crewed the first Moon landing in 1969, and the only one who couldn’t step on the lunar surface. He was charged with orbiting it instead, ensuring the safety of his fellow astronauts. How he must have felt after a lifetime of preparation to be so close and yet so far. Not being able to walk the Moon had to be a disappointment, but Collins knew what his mission was and he did it. ...

During this unprecedented time of social separation, we look for opportunities to enable students to come together with others beyond their pandemic-mandated cohorts, to foster community.    This spring, Saint David’s partnered with George Jackson Academy and the Buckley School to host a virtual book club for the schools’ graduating classes. The book club selection, New Kid, is a graphic novel by Jerry Craft that relays the story of a seventh grader’s experiences upon enrolling in a new private school and the variety of challenges moving to a new school present.   The boys in all three schools began their discussions about this book from a similar shared experience: looking forward to graduation and the transition to a new secondary school. As the discussions unfolded in small-group breakout sessions (the boys met three times over two weeks), they delved deeper into their individual feelings and thoughts, and shared their various perspectives. Beginning with similarities ...

Discipline, mentorship, creativity, teamwork, and loyalty are five of the “Ten Commandments of a Chef” that world-renowned, award-winning restaurateur and Chef Daniel Boulud discussed during our Seventh Grade Father/Son event on Wednesday, April 14. For this annual tradition, our boys and their fathers or father figures gather for dinner and to engage with an author who provides insightful, inspiring messages that resonate with the school’s mission. The evening celebrates the very special and vital connection between father, or any paternal influence (granddad, grandmother, family friend) and son at a pivotal moment as our boys prepare to enter their graduating year at Saint David’s. Chef Boulud based his talk on his book Letters to a Young Chef, written to inspire young people interested in pursuing a culinary arts career. The letters advance universal advice on how to successfully pursue one’s passion and purpose. Most important, Chef Boulud encouraged our boys to be optimistic a...

Above: The Nerf microphone ball enables boys learning remotely to hear their classmates well. The pandemic has challenged educators to reinvent and reimagine units of study to keep learning engaging, regardless of how it is delivered. The following article, written for Saint David’s Magazine by our Modern Languages Chair Dr. Victoria Gilbert and Lower School Spanish teacher Flor Berman, addresses how this was done in the Spanish immersion language program at Saint David's. Ms. Berman and Dr. Gilbert, recipient of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers' Ruth E. Wasley Distinguished Teacher Award, presented on the topic at NYSAIS’s Flexible Classroom Conference last summer. How Spanish Classes Have Bounced Back Resiliency implies an ability to bounce back, but as teachers working with the youngest learners in the school, we would reframe resiliency as the opportunity to reimagine. Whether boys are learning through a face-to-face experience or through the med...