Headmaster's Blog

 ... joined the boys of Saint David's for a morning gathering of music making April 29th.  It was a delight to see the boys perform, with such gusto and confidence, especially the theme song to Mission Impossible.  Mr. Hough proudly conducted the ensemble.  The girls were wonderful guests and talented musicians.  It was a focused social with a purpose--playing music together!  Thank you, girls.

The habit most associated with charity as a virtue—generosity—is the giving freely of time, talent, skill, or resources without the expectation of something in return.  It’s a noble notion, literally.  The etymology of the word, from the Latin root, literally means “kin” or “clan.”  The earliest usage of the word reflected an aristocratic sense of being of noble lineage or “high birth.”  Over time the meaning changed.  Generosity began to identify a nobility of spirit, rather than family heritage; to signify character traits and actions associated with the ideals of actual nobility such as gallantry, courage, strength, gentleness, and fairness.  Today, the meaning of “generous” has changed further to mean munificence, open-handedness, and the liberal giving of money and possessions. Over the course of centuries, the meaning of generous has shifted from an ascribed status restricted purely to the “nobility,” that was either truly earned or not, to be an achi...

Inside the magnificent Veterans Room at the Park Avenue (7th Regiment) Armory Thursday evening last, Sam White presented a captivating talk on the life and work of his grandfather Stanford White.  It was a fitting venue for this 4th annual social event organized by the Alumni Parents Council under the dedicated leadership of Dorothy Faux and Linda Foran.  With more than 100 people in attendance, Sam not only explained in detail the room we were occupying, designed by his late great grandfather, but also walked us through his great grandfather's life's work--the Farragut Monument, Villard House, Payne Whitney House, Church of the Ascension, Newport Casino Theatre, Metropolitan Club, Madison Square Garden, Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, The Century Association, Herald Building, NYU's Guild Library, Tiffany and Co., NY, to name a few. The Seventh Regiment was known most famously for its service during the Civil War.  Its Armory is an incredibly interesting New York Ci...

... more than others.  Today was one of those days -- Headmaster for a Day -- a day that someone else carries the heavy mantle of power!  My third grade companion, Jackson B. began this day early in the morning welcoming everyone to school with a handshake and a smile.  After some 500 handshakes it was off to 7th and 8th grade Chapel to hear Mr. Kilkeary deliver an eloquent, morally rich reason why we should all "love our neighbor".  Following another round of handshakes beneath the "frescoed" Shepherd David, we took a tour of the classrooms to announce the much anticipated "HM For a Day Policies" -- always a highlight of this special day. We began these announcements in the Pre-kindergarten and worked our way up through the school to the 8th grade.  It is fair to say, in response to the first of the policies announced by the Headmaster -- no homework tonight, not a stitch -- that our ascent in altitude was equally calibrated with the applause and cheers...

Without contributing to the often politicized nature of issues environmental, I think we can all comfortably agree that learning to respect and appreciate the limited resources of our planet; to be conscious of our need to conserve, and in certain cases protect these resources is something we can all agree on. Earth Day has a special meaning at Saint David's and a long history of celebration. We were one of the first schools involved in the first NYC Earth Day in 1970. This morning, Saint David's Chamber Singers under Phyllis C's direction, assembled on the sidewalk to welcome everyone to school in song. The boys' performance, enjoyed by the hundreds spread across our 89th Street sidewalk included: Kum Ba Chur Atzeyl, a Hebrew folk song about waking up, Now I Walk in Beauty (Text Navajo; music G. Smith), Old Brown Earth (words and music Pete Seeger), I Thank You, God (text E. E. Cummings, music E. E. Levine), This We Know (Text Chief Seattle; music R. Jeffers), M...

As we head home from Randall's Island on what is now a beautiful sunny, spring day, we do so victorious on two counts. Down 2-1 after 5 innings, White scores 3 runs off clutch hits. Briggs B. knocks in two to put us ahead. Colin J. ties it up with a single to left field. John W., commanding the mound, closes out the game with 2 of his 10 strike outs. Final score after an incredible comeback, 4-2 Saint David's.

Red outplays Buckley with a second run in the top of the 6th by William G.  Exceptionally strong defense and closing pitcher Nicholas C. prevent any chance of a Buckley comeback. Vincent M. pitches a confident, strategic 5 innings.  Game concludes with a line drive catch by JJ, 2-1 Saint David's.  As the sun sets on this Earth Day Thursday, this headmaster stands speechless and spellbound! Buckley plays a hard game.  The win did not come easily.