Headmaster's Blog

The new elevators are installed and functioning in the new Saint David’s. Today the landing doors are going in. Another milestone passed. 

“ We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us .” ― Neil deGrasse Tyson Perhaps nothing explores the notion of omnium nobis better than  study of the cosmos. Recently, sixth graders took fellow classmates, parents and faculty into the vast far reaches of the universe for such contemplation when they presented their research-based space shows at the Hayden Planetarium. Sitting at the controls in the Planetarium, the boys "flew" through space with arresting visuals and well crafted narratives that answered the questions that had intrigued them in their study of astronomy: "How Do Mars and Venus Show us the Future of Earth?", "What Makes Jupiter Unique?", "What Is the Life Cycle of a Star?", and "Is There Life Outside of Planet Earth?" were just some of the riveting topics. The show was the culmination of the boys' winter in...

Second graders transported us back in time to the Making of America , in their musical re-creation of the Continental Congress of July 4, 1776. Huzzah! Huzzah!, an original play with music, was written by former faculty members Mrs. Cunningham and Ms. Farrell (2006) and produced this year by Second Grade teachers Ms. Buhr, Ms. Falvey, and Mrs. Patterson, and Music Chair Mr. Moore. The production is performed in connection with the boys' study of the American Revolutionary times in social studies. With great self-assurance, our boys assumed the roles of representatives from the 13 colonies calling for independence, including famous Americans Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and Patrick Henry. Equally impressive was the performers' mastery of lyrics in their rousing renditions of several classics from the American songbook. Fantastic job, boys!

On Friday, March 16, our third graders kicked off spring break with Nerdy Derby Race Day! The boys had been hard at work and having a blast for two weeks on the Nerdy Derby interdisciplinary STEAM project, a unit that put the boys' creative design, and math and science skills to the test as they built miniature cars to compete in the final race down a 50-foot track. In preparation, the boys engaged in several hands-on activities that helped them to understand the ways friction, mass and aerodynamics affected the motion of their cars. They plotted the data from experimental test runs of the cars and analyzed the entire class data for insights into how they might alter their own cars' individual designs to increase chances of winning the race. One of the activities the boys undertook to understand the engineering design process was the Marshmallow Challenge in which they were charged with building towers out of dry spaghetti, with the goal of creating the tallest t...

After viewing three of our four Davids at the Accademia and the Bargello (Verrocchio, Donatello and Michelangelo) it’s time for lunch at ‘the end of the world.’

At the top of the Campanile in the pouring rain. On their way down the 450 old steps--a first--in honor of Mr. Kilkeary the boys boisterously sang "I Danced in the Morning..." followed quickly by "Amazing Grace" and "Despacito." I'm not sure what the soaking throng of tourists making their way up the tower thought, but smiles covered their faces! A bleak day made bright. It was quite something... had to be the rain!

The boys listening to Rosella, our guide, on the architecture of the Medici family church, S. Lorenzo, designed by Brunelleschi.