Skip to main content

A Decade of Hope

Pictured here is author Dennis Smith, today in the Hume Library, addressing the 8th Grade boys on his newest book: Decade of Hope: Stories of Grief and Endurance from 9/11 Families. Mr. Smith shared his experiences that day as a NYC Firefighter responding to the WTC site and the days and weeks of work that followed for the first responders.  He also shared with us personal anecdotes from his interviews with the wide range of people featured in Decade of Hope, his fourteenth book. A highly engaging and poignant speaker, Mr. Smith drew the boys into his narrative through graphic detail and the exploration of powerful human emotions--anger, fear, and most importantly love and hope.

A New York Times Best Selling author, Dennis also recalled his youth growing up in a very different New York, and his love and passion for writing that came to him later in life.  Mr. Smith served in the Air Force, then the FDNY, and more recently as entrepreneur, philanthropist and active supporter of First Responders.

Dennis shared his writing process with the boys and the value of finding/creating a life well-lived. He challenged them to find their place in the world by pursuing their passion and finding a way to capture it in "their story." "We all have a story to tell," he told the boys.

I was moved, as were the boys, by Dennis' unique mix of the pragmatism of daily life and the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of "a full life," and his underlying message of the importance of rigorous pursuit of knowledge and deeper understanding--to analyze and reflect--and not to blindly accept what appears to be.

Mr. Smith is one of several authors visiting the school this spring to meet with the boys at various grade levels--a Visiting Author program sponsored and supported by our Parents Association.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

OLIVER!

This morning our fifth graders continued a great year-end tradition at Saint David's, The Fifth Grade Musical. The boys performed Oliver! and they were fantastic, providing impressive performances and demonstrating great vocal ability. They have been mastering the dialogue and musical numbers for weeks, and clearly gave it their all. Congratulations to the cast on a job well done, and to their Producers/Teachers James Hubbard and Jamie MacNeille, Director Phyllis Clark, Musical Conductor Jeff Moore, and the Parent Committee of Cynthia Chapman, Susan Kissane, Tara Neumann, Joyce Restituto, and Ann Roberts. Musical theater is alive and well at Saint David's!
Post a Comment
Read more

Fascinating Art Talk by Michelle Marder Kamhi at Grandparents Event

Yesterday evening, independent scholar and critic Michelle Marder Kamhi ( www.mmkamhi.com ), co-editor with husband Louis Torres of Aristos , an online review of arts; author of Who Says That's Art? A Commonsense View of the Visual Arts ; and grandmother of two Saint David's boys, gave a thought provoking talk on art for our grandparent community. An advocate of objective standards in arts scholarship and criticism, Ms. Kamhi focused her talk on the ways in which art critics such as Clement Greenberg promoted the shift from representational art to abstraction. Kamhi argues that the abstract and post-modern art prevalent today, which often requires explanation by docents in order to be understood, goes against art's purpose. Taking issue with Greenberg's contention that representation is an expendable convention of painting, she quoted the late art critic John Canaday: "Art is the tangible expression of the intangible values that men live by." ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NE Patriot Tom Brady at Saint David’s

Last night, Saint David’s was honored to have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, four time Superbowl champion and three-time MVP winner Tom Brady, as the guest speaker for our Alumni Parents Council Lecture Series. Tom, who is the father of one of our Saint David's boys, addressed a standing-room-only audience in Hyman Hall comprised of our eighth graders, alumni, alumni parents and faculty. Friendly, introspective, witty, and wise, he directed his talk to the delighted eighth graders in the front of the room, and focused on the topic of leadership. “You are the young men and leaders of Saint David’s,” he noted. Tom debunked the perception that leaders are born not made, and credited his leadership abilities to “standing up to and facing fears” and to “cultivating a mental strength,” which he cited as “more important than being physically strong.” He also stressed the importance of working hard, honoring teamwork, believing in oneself and being a good lis...
Post a Comment
Read more