Headmaster's Blog

On  the Cape today 7th grade boys explored the bay and coastal geography as part of their week-long trip to Cape Cod. Clearly the cooler, overcast day did not impede their efforts.  A few photos below. They are having a blast.

Monday was an exciting day.  Several grads visited on their first day off from high school.  Lucas from Choate, Giacomo from Deerfield, Hutch from Episcopal, and Khalid from Canterbury.  It was fun catching up with them.  They all seem very happy.  Khalid, starting safety and JV Captain of the football team, expressed great pleasure at "teaching Westminster a lesson," in a recent game.   That passion and pride was evident in all the boys. It doesn't surprise me that Khalid was wearing the shirt he was for the visit!

Boys Grouping Foods Last week first grade boys learned about good nutrition in an engaging way during an interdisciplinary athletics class at the 94th Street Gym. The boys enjoyed playing a variety of active healthy-eating themed games with their coaches including "Food Tag Frenzy" where the goal was to create healthy, balanced meals. The boys also participated in presentations about healthy eating by a registered dietician from Cater to You , which included discussion of the food groups, healthy eating habits, creating balanced "colorful" meals, and the importance of hydration. A delicious themed lunch that focused on balanced, colorful foods followed the special workshop session. Food Awaiting Grouping This new interdisciplinary unit in the first grade combines nutrition, athletics, and health; it is one part of a larger curricular strand that also includes a new unit in the sixth grade that I blogged about last month.  In line with our year-lon...

6th grade volunteers contributed to the greater good last night at Terence Cardinal Cooke.  After trekking up 5th Avenue, the boys spent an hour or so of their free time visiting with the residents. Making Halloween decorations, the boys helped the residents prepare for their big Halloween bash later this month.  The boys were, as always, charismatic, leaving the residents asking for more! I was proud of their efforts.  It's always gratifying to watch them interact with the residents, building relationships and experiences that transcend their "normal" day.

Yesterday, James G. Basker, President of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, visited Saint David's to meet with our sixth graders and their parents to discuss the value of primary source documents.  Professor Basker explained that when people closely examine original documents, they become historians themselves rather than merely passive recipients of information. During the session the professor elicited observations and inferences from the boys as they closely studied reproductions of several documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection including, a Boston Massacre print by Paul Revere, a version of the Declaration of Independence believed to be the sole survivor of a Charleston, South Carolina printing, a letter from George Washington in which he expresses his misgivings about slavery, and a letter by abolitionist Frederick Douglass to his former owners in which he forgivingly declares, "I love you but hate slavery." In one activity, boys compared...

Our school-wide theme, "Critical Analysis" in action! An outgrowth of our multi-year Curriculum Initiative that concluded last year was the incorporation of more outside professional critiques of various aspects of our program.  Several years ago Saint David's Athletic Department partnered with the Positive Coaching Alliance to objectively provide on-going professional critique of our coaching practices and procedures; not to address any particular issue, rather to continually grow and improve professional practice. After visits by the Alliance staff earlier in the season, Saint David's coaches this past Saturday gathered at school for a follow-up workshop.  The workshop began with the question,“What is my legacy?” This led to a lively discussion on the value of creating a positive athletic culture. It also led to the question: Are we making sure the boys know and understand “The Way We Do Things Here?” The department then discussed the importance of creating a...

An Introductory Activity at Community Club This Morning Saint David's created a boys Community Club out of its strategic desire to build an even stronger, more supportive and inclusive community within the school.  As the program enters its second year, faculty and boys involved with the program are excited.  Their focus is to 'do,' engage in action that builds school community. During the Community Club’s first few sessions, the boys have participated in greetings and activities that help them get to know one another reports Amanda Rathbun, one of the club's leading faculty members. The Community Club’s first goal is to help build community within the club—help boys feel comfortable, confident, and included.  We have also had great conversations about how we can help make Saint David’s a stronger community. The boys brainstormed ideas such as: bring people together to learn about them, share our different interests with older boys, help boys make new friends,...