Headmaster's Blog

Last night the Chapel overflowed with our boys and several of their teachers for the Young Alumni Chapel and Dinner,  a Thanksgiving tradition that has grown tremendously each year since its inception in 2006. Alum Chris Landry '06 delivered the Chapel talk to the gathering of our eighth graders,  alumni who are currently in high school, and faculty and staff. Chris, a graduate of Regis and currently a first-year medical student at Columbia, focused his talk on the uniqueness of a Saint David's education.  Recalling a favorite Latin class he took while at Saint David's, he recounted an exam in which the teacher asked the boys not only the expected questions related to vocabulary or the readings of ancient philosophers, but to write an essay that would,  "relate the Latin we learned to the six virtues of Saint Davids: scholarship, spirituality, balance, action, order, and aesthetics. " He noted the value in such an exam question, which asks the student t...

In math, sixth graders learn about proportion by creating a mailbox model to scale. The goal is for each of them to build, from a single sheet of paper, a three-dimensional model that can stand upright in the palm of the boy’s hand. The project involves extensive sketching and multiple iterations of design, as the boys use their math knowledge to determine what will and won’t work, and they learn much by sharing and critiquing their various approaches with each other. In this challenging STEAM project, our boys "learn by hands-on doing," sharing, and problem solving.

Today's lunch featured a delicious vegetable soup (also known as Omega Farmer's Market Soup ), courtesy of the Omega boys' field trip yesterday to the Farmer's Market in Union Square. There, the boys and their teachers learned from a representative of our food service provider, Cater to You, about the characteristics of different types of vegetables. Afterward, the boys were separated into 8 different groups, each representing a category of vegetables, e.g. stems, leaves, or roots, and set to the task of purchasing vegetables from their group. Happily, they returned to school and delivered their edible purchases to our own Chef Elda, whose team turned them into today's healthy and tasty soup. The session at the farmer's market is part of the Omega class's study of careers, and the impact of different jobs in a community. The trip to the market and the process of doing the shopping for today's lunch helped make the concept "from farm to...

Seventh and Second Grade "buddies” met yesterday for an enjoyable session in which the younger boys played computer games designed and created this fall by the older boys during a new Upper School STEAM coding unit. The second graders loved playing the computer games, and their older buddies enjoyed teaching them the rules.  Both grades have been learning coding through Scratch, an MIT visual programming language that is developmentally appropriate for each grade. The boys had a wonderful time together, enjoying the exchange, the play, and the snacks! On several occasions throughout the year, second and seventh grade buddies get together to share in a Saint David's experience, building community among the younger and older boys. Next week, Seventh Grade boys will escort their Second Grade buddy to the school's Thanksgiving Mass.

It was a beautiful, mild, picture perfect fall morning on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  First came the warm-up.  Then all was a blur of red and grey. Coaches, teachers, siblings, Omega boys, and parents cheered as our forty-six second graders dashed by in the annual Turkey Run. Omega boys cheering on the 2nd Grade The boys trained hard during their athletics classes this fall for the 450-meter race held yesterday in Riverside Park, the 43rd Turkey Run in the school's history. All were excited when the big day arrived, spirits were high. This is such a fun Saint David's tradition.  It celebrates through action the camaraderie of our community and signals the arrival of the season of Thanksgiving at Saint David's. The beginning of the best time of year!

On occasion, the parents of members of Saint David's Philharmonic Ensemble are invited to early morning coffee concerts, unique opportunities to observe the Ensemble in practice. Yesterday was one of these sessions. The boys were hard at work preparing for the January winter concert as Ensemble Director Phil Hough led us through two selections: one from Haydn's Surprise Symphony ; the other, Wagner's March of the Meistersingers. Along the way, Mr. Hough periodically stopped the boys to note a correction, or to provide interesting information about the composer or a particular bowing technique. We all walked away learning something, and happy to have begun the day with a little music. 

Riverdale with freshmen and sophomores It's been so much fun catching up with alums. Yesterday I visited alums at Riverdale from the Class of 2012: Robert B, Robert C., Alexander H., and James; from 2013: George, Thomas, and Axel; from 2014: Alexander K., Nicholas, and Luke; and from 2015: Matthew, Kevin and Henry. We caught up on all the goings on, including the second Saint David's boy in a row to win the prestigious Humanitarian Essay Award at Riverdale, George. The boys were in high spirits. Riverdale with juniors and seniors When I returned to school, two from Fordham, Sam '15 and Nathaniel '15, dropped by to say hello and one from Regis, Skakel '13.  They too were full of stories and exciting experiences to share. It was great to see them.