Pharoahs to Farmers: Critical Analysis

This week two classes of Saint David's boys went on field trips closely associated with what they have been studying this fall.

On Tuesday, our fourth graders participated in a guided tour of the Ancient Egypt wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There, museum guides engaged the boys, inviting them to look closely at and critically analyze the works of art, often asking them open ended questions based on observation.

The boys have been studying Ancient Egypt as part of their fourth grade history course focusing on the question "What is a civilization?" Visiting the museum enabled the boys to engage visually with what they had learned in class.

In Omega, our young boys have been learning about the importance of farming. Yesterday, they visited the outdoor Farmers Market in Union Square, where they and their teachers met with the head of our catering services provider who guided our boys around the market, discussing the difference between fruits and vegetables (They were surprised to learn a red pepper is a fruit!), seasonal vegetables, and the importance of buying locally grown foods.

The boys were thrilled to select vegetables to purchase for the school's next-day lunch. Imagine their delight when they saw the sign in the lunchroom today, indicating that the soup of the day was made from their class's vegetables!

Both of these class field trips are in line with our Curriculum Initiative efforts to increase the out-of-classroom learning experiences for boys throughout all grades, in ways that enable them to make meaningful connections between in-class learning and what they see in-situ to deepen their understanding.

Comments

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...

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." ...

Digital Universe Unit With AMNH-Hayden Planetarium Kicks Off

The second year of our unique partnership with the American Museum of Natural History-Hayden Planetarium kicked off on Friday when the sixth grade had their first session of the Digital Universe unit. The session included a private viewing at the planetarium in which boys were able to explore the entire universe. They and their teachers were invited to view the show from the vantage point of the floor in the center of the round theater, staring up into the apex of the dome. What an amazing perspective! Museum educator and astro-visualization expert Nathan Belomy took the boys on a tour of the observable universe, allowing them to get a feel for the scale of distance and size in the universe. In a fun activity related to scale, the boys set down a volleyball (representing the sun) at 79th Street, and walked for blocks down Columbus avenue with the planets in our solar system represented by a variety of smaller objects – a cupcake sprinkle, a marble – predicting and then m...

Headmaster's Blog

Search This Blog