Headmaster's Blog

Landed safely on time.

The Class of 2010 made their connection. We are awaiting our boarding call for the Transatlantic leg of the journey home. Beautiful weather in Germany.  I must say, the Swiss Alps were spectacular from 20,000 feet. Visibility was unusually crisp and clear.  All are well.

The boys are all at Florence airport, through ticketing and security, waiting at the gate. Perfect weather for flying. Departure from Hotel Kraft was drama free. Some are playing Scopa, a fun Italian card game I taught them earlier in the trip, others are eating, relaxing. Flight is on time. Faculty, ever vigilant, are starting to show soft signs of exhaustion, or is it more the beginning signs of relief. Either way, they are on the final leg of an incredibly successful trip. Arrivederci Firenze!

Our last day in Firenze! Weather wise, it was another perfect day.  Sunny.  The morning was spent admiring the Brancacci Chapel and the incredible work of Massacio, Filippo Lippi and Masolino.  Highlights included the fresco cycle of the Life of St. Peter , The Expulsion and the Tribute Money .  We stayed Oltrarno—it’s nice south of the Arno—next visiting Santo Spirito , just west of Pitti Palace and about a half mile south of the outer Roman wall, Porta Romana, of the old city. Lunch today was at Palazzo Capponi . Mr. Ferragamo gave the boys a warm welcome to his and Chiara’s home, and told the story of the difficult but important restoration of the palazzo and the Nazi bombing of the Ponte Trinita, adjacent to the palazzo. The boys were enthralled by this story.  We then enjoyed a guided tour of the grand ballroom frescoed from floor to ceiling by Poccetti in the late 1500s/early 1600s depicting the history of the Capponi family.  A delicious lun...

... as guests of the Ferragamo family viewing the absolutely spectacular Capponi ballroom depicting in frescos by Poccetti, the story of this important family in the Florentine history of the late Renaissance. Massimo and Chiara then treated the boys to lunch at the Palazzo.

... at Hotel Kraft before leaving for Brancacci Chapel 8:30 AM, Wednesday. Another sunny day!

It’s the day before St. Patrick’s Day, not that I’m counting. Absolutely beautiful day in Firenze, again! For about five minutes, in the early afternoon as we were all sitting in the Piazza Della Signoria enjoying the sunshine, a few clouds interrupted our otherwise perfect day. We actually thought it might rain.  How dare it!  But it didn’t.  The weather gods were with us. After Chapel in the Lobby of Hotel Kraft, it was off on a visit to San Marco to explore the incredible life of the crazy monk Savonarola, and the incredible work of Fra Angelico. The small, sparse, but beautifully frescoed cells, the cloister, and the story of Savonarola who was eventually burned alive in Piazza Della Signoria , where we would soon enjoy lunch, captivated the boys’ imaginations. The boys were also struck by the glistening wings of the Archangel Gabrielle in Fra Angelico's Annunciation , Ghirlandaio's Last Supper , and the frescoed cell of the Kiss of Judas ; which, ironically, is the...

Sketching in the cloister of San Marco on another sun-filled Florentine day 10:30 AM.

Gelato by the Cathedral.  Does it get any better? 10:45 PM.

... as we walk east for gelato, 10 PM.

Another beautiful day in Firenze! After a hot breakfast the boys moved apace to view Lorenzo Ghirberti’s Baptistery Doors —he spent 50 years of his life working on them; Vasari’s inner dome ceiling frescos; Dominico Michelino’s Dante ;  Luca Della Robbia’s Le Cantorie as well as Donatello’s; Giotto’s, Pisano’s and Della Robbia’s Lower Registry Reliefs —representing all of human activity known at the time; Michelangelo’s Pieta , completed some 50 years after The David , can you imagine; Donatello's Mary Magdalene--which I find very disturbing; the Clock of the Cathedral , found high up on the inner facade—the only clock in the world to tell Italian time (it moves backwards, by the way); the Santa Maria del Fiore’s interior, and The Museo Di Santa Maria Del Fiore. Lunch and shopping with a taste of independence in San Lorenzo Market consumed the middle part of the day.  The eyes of the market traders lit up when we arrived and the boys definitely didn’t let them down.  We...

Detail of the Ghiberti's Battle of Gerico studied by the boys today. Here, the people being led by Joshua to the Promised Land.

Ignazio explaining Ghiberti's 1454 Gates of Paradise, in this case The Battle of Gerico. Sunny day.

The boys woke a little later on this beautiful Sunday morning.  The sun was bright, the air cool—a perfect Florentine day.  Mass at Ognissanti by the Arno, then off to Santa Maria Novella to view Alberti’s spectacular facade.  Italian mass was a treat albeit a little long.  Guest lecturer Ralph Harvard explained that the last volute on the façade of Santa Maria Novella was not completed until the 20 th century, leaving the façade lopsided for more than 500 years.  Inside it was Masaccio’s Holy Trinity , Giotto’s seventeen-foot-tall 13 th century Crucifix and Donatello’s wooded crucifix that caught the attention of the boys.  We then moved in behind the altar to the Tornabuoni Chapel to view, in situ, the incredible Ghirlandaio frescos depicting the life of Mary and the life of John the Baptist. Lunch was outdoors in Piazza della Signoria at Lorenzaccio. After pizza and pasta it was a math lab problem and sketching.  Using a few instruments, t...

... no, just a day in the park, pirouetting, Imbelli style! 

The boys' Saturday in Florence can be summed up with just two names: Dante and Michelangelo. Led by our Florentine guide, Ignazio, we departed the Kraft around 9:30 after a hearty breakfast, and walked east across the center of Florence to the Accademia and Casa Buonarroti , Michelangelo’s “home.”  En route the boys passed the Baptistery and Duomo , Piazza Repubblica and Via Roma —all roads lead to Rome, or in the case of Via Roma, from Rome.  On arrival at the Accademia on Via Ghibellina, the boys examined Michelangelo’s “incompiuta” slaves with the help of Ignazio, learning first hand how he approached the marble from only one direction, digging in, to “release what is already in the block.”  Casa Buonarroti was our next stop—three adjacent houses joined—just like Saint David’s!  Two pieces that define the Casa collection: the low relief sculpture, Madonna della Scala (of the stairs), and Battle of the Centaurs —both completed by Michelangelo in his teens—were...

The day started with an early rise in Rome at 6 AM.  The boys boarded the bus and said arrivederci, Roma . After being pelted with freezing rain and hail Thursday, Friday proved itself to be absolutely beautiful and sunny; almost, dare I say it, balmy.  The ride from Rome to Assisi took 2 1/2 hours.  Upon arrival, the boys visited the Upper Basilica where they presented their Via Assisiana Lectures .  They then made their way down to the Lower Basilica to view St. Francis’ tomb. Each of the boys lit a candle, said a prayer, and then put that candle in a basket to be used during the next mass.  After the Basilica tour it was back on the bus for the second 2 ½-3 hour leg to Florence.  Just outside Florence the bus made a special stop at Piazzale Michelangelo .  High up in the hills surrounding Florence the boys could view the entirety of the city below them— Brunelleschi’s Dome , Giotto’s bell tower, the Campanile , and the meandering ...

... the sun is trying to break through the Roman clouds this morning as all woke early for a solid day of touring.  The group, after breakfast, made their way to Villa Borghese , one of the highlights being Gian Lorenzo Bernini's David --obviously important to us at Saint David's. This afternoon it's lunch, St. Peter's Square and a private tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel tonight .  The boys whose passports were stolen were all issued new ones this morning at the American Consulate and the travelers checks are being issued as I write this blog entry at 2:50 PM Rome time.  All remain healthy.

... was a little cold for the group's first few days of exploration.  A visit to San Luigi dei Francesi designed by Giacomo della Porta and built between 1518 and 1589 was followed by an extended lunch in the beautiful and famous square, Piazza Navona, which is right near-by, where the boys admired masterpieces by Bernini, della Porta, and Borromini. After lunch and some sketching, the boys visited the only Gothic church in Rome, the Basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva .  The church is so named because it was built directly on the foundations of a temple to Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, built by Pompey c. 50 BC.  The basilica that stands today was begun in 1280 .  Gelato finished off the afternoon before the group headed back to the hotel.  For the first meal in Rome, all sang happy birthday to Brad D. and almost everyone managed to stay awake during the three course meal--a record, almost, in and of itself--a long, but exciting day was had by all. A...

After a late afternoon departure from JFK on Monday, eighth graders and their teachers arrived safely in Rome this morning.  Once luggage was deposited at their hotel, the boys immediately began their exploration of Rome with a visit to the Pantheon.  Light, freezing rain began to fall.  Spirits though, are sunny.

An important component of the ongoing Curriculum Initiative at Saint David's involves the Athletic program. One aspect of this initiative includes the professional development of coaches. Due to an incredibly generous donation this past month from an anonymous donor in memory of long-time Saint David's friend, alumni grandfather, and patron Albert H. Gordon , the school's ability to fast-track its scheduled implementation of new goals and objectives has increased excitement and momentum within the department. This past February 25th through 27th, for example, coaches Jeremy Donohue and Jorge Roman attended the three-day Soccer Champions Coaches Clinic at Uncasville, CT. The primary goal in attending this workshop was to attain the Coaching “E” Certification.  The curriculum focused on the development of the player, both individually and as part of the team. According to Coach Roman, "Overall, the “E” Certificate Course further developed our coaching and soccer skil...

... extensively this week.  Fourth Grade boys took us on a journey with them along the Silk Road (the Headmaster's Office was Rome) and the Second Grade to the founding generation--revolutionary Americans.  Extending for more than 7,000 miles, the ancient trade routes that comprised "the Silk Road" (200 BC through 200 AD approx.) enabled people to transport goods such as silk, satin, musk, spices, medicines, jewels, and glassware, as well as serving as a conduit for the spread of knowledge, ideas, and cultures between different parts of the world--Ancient China, Ancient India, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean--contributing to the development of the great civilizations of China, Egypt, Rome, Persia and India, to name a few.  The boys moved along Saint David's "Silk Road" trading and exchanging throughout with equal daring and influence.  The halls and stairwells were aglow with color, movement and noisy "trade." In the Wax Museums of the Pi, Th...

... than Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice performed this morning by our sixth grade boys?  The musical didn’t stop moving from opening act to the final scene—breathtaking!  Joseph's father, Jacob, played convincingly by Christopher V-R. favored Joseph and gave him a multicolored coat as a gift; as a result, Joseph, played handsomely by Patrick B. and Aidan S., was envied by his eleven brothers who saw the special coat as a sign that Joseph would assume leadership of the family. The rest of the story can be found in Genesis—the plotting of the brothers against Joseph, Reuben’s (played by Henry T.) interposition, the throwing of Joseph into the pit and the secret plan to rescue him later; the twist in Reuben’s absence, and the later discovery of Joseph in Egypt .   I’m not sure if I’ll ever fully recover for the intense stress experienced by my abdominal muscles when “the King” or should I say Pharaoh, aka Felix S. burst...

Alumnus Francis O'Shea '97 spoke today of an inscription found in the center of the bookcases of the Gordon Library, 3rd floor: "The Child is the Father of the Man." Francis recalled noticing this on a recent visit to the school. It resonated deeply. Although the saying is much older, a recent usage can be found in a poem penned by William Wordsworth in 1802 entitled The Rainbow :                         My heart leaps up when I behold                         A rainbow in the sky:                         So was it when my life began;                 ...

Two important themes were brilliantly explored by 7 Theta this morning in their interpretation of Sophocles’ play Philoctetes set in the ninth year of the Trojan war where Philoctetes is recalled to Troy from his exile on Lemnos. This tragic Greek drama examines the effects of disability and suffering in the wounded warrior and its effects on the social fabric. Philoctetes, the greatest of the Greek archers, played superbly by Christopher R., articulates in several of his monologues, the physical, psychological and social disruption caused by his suffering; what today we would call post traumatic stress disorder. Secondly, it explores how an essentially moral person, Neoptolemus, Achilles son, played with a commanding alertness by Tomaso R. is persuaded to engage in unethical behavior by a powerful superior, Odysseus, played confidently by Matthew McC.—and what then moves him to return to his new moral framework, enlarged by his almost complete betrayal of Philoctetes. I enjo...

This morning, I gave Chapel in recognition of our school's observance of St. David's Day.  The text of the Chapel follows: "Do the little things you have seen and heard me do." Although the patron saint of Wales whose day we celebrate today is not the patron of our school, we non-the-less, because of long tradition, celebrate his feast day every March 1 st . Saint David, or Dewi Sant, as he is known in Welsh, was a very gentle person who lived a frugal life. It is said that he ate mostly bread and herbs and to have drank nothing but water. David was a Celtic monk and bishop, who lived in the sixth century. During his long life—it is said he lived to 100—he was the archbishop of Wales, helped the poor, established several monasteries, and spread Christianity throughout western Britain.