Headmaster's Blog

Saint David's alum Tommy Robertshaw '10 wins big in Madrid, Spain and his film screens today. See release below: MADRID FILM FESTIVAL WINNER  THE LEFT BEHIND  HEADLINES MIDDLEBURY NEW FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL Millenials’ narrative film explores sexuality, depression at New England boarding school Middlebury, VT – August 26, 2016 –  The Left Behind ,  written by then-high school senior  Tom Robertshaw  and directed by  Oliver Salk , will premiere at the  2016 Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival , a highly competitive film festival dedicated to rising talent in North America,  this Saturday, August 27 th  at 10:30 AM .   The Left Behind won best cinematography in a feature film during July’s Madrid International Film Festival, beating out 7 other films.  Sam   Wolff  was the film’s director of photography. Wolff graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in May. Salk is a student at t...

Saint David's closed 89th Street yesterday to pick several chiller units off a flat bed truck and lift them to the roof of Buildings 14 and 16. Shown above is a view of the crane over the school with Central Park in the background.  You might also notice in the bottom right of the photo the almost total demolition of the rear portion of Graham House almost to the ground floor. The stair and elevator core can be seen still intact running the vertical length of Building 16, as well as the facade of Graham still intact. All is on schedule.  Below are a series of close up photographs of the chiller units being lowered into place. 

Demolition of Graham House is moving along well, with completion on target for summer's end. This aerial shot shows the imprint of the area that will encompass our new large, middle school regulation-size gymnasium.  The section marked 1 is the air shaft,  which we are filling in from the ground up. The #2 arrow gives you an idea of the size of the gym, which will run nearly the length of the building from North to South. The width will span the entire rear portion of Graham House to the #3 arrow, which approximates the location of the fixed bleacher seating. It is exciting to imagine that this space will, in the not too distant future, be filled with the sounds and sights of our boys playing sports. Additional photos of the ongoing work follow.

I am always impressed when I see Saint David's alums. This morning, while visiting our Horizons summer program, I encountered young professional alums reading to the Horizons boys before they go off to work.  Our alums come to Horizons every Wednesday for an hour or so and share literature with a small group--the same small group every week for six weeks throughout the summer.  I dare say they are sharing much more than literature!  I just love it!

I would like to share the latest developments at the Saint David's Kalina School in Tigray, Ethiopia.  This past academic year a new Early Childhood Care and Development center (ECCD), which includes a dedicated block of two rooms and an outdoor playground, opened for boys and girls ages 4-6. The ECCD provides young children with an opportunity to prepare for their primary school years. It also educates mothers in early literacy development and healthy child care practices. The ECCD center joins the Saint David's Kalina School, which officially opened in 2014 after 3 years of fundraising projects by Saint David's boys. Last school year, the Saint David's Kalina School and ECCD center provided education to 479 children (216 girls and 263 boys) in pre-primary through Grade 6. A recent report by Save the Children , our partners in the project, had this to say about the sustained efforts of Saint David's boys: Because of your support for the ECCD center...

Hard demolition of Graham House is underway, beginning on the roof of Building 18 and working its way down to the ground floor.  Once 18 has been demolished, demolition of 20 and 22 will follow. The elevator from Building 22 has been removed and that space will be used as a trash chute for the duration of the project.  The photos below show workers on the roof as they begin demolishing the rear portion of Graham House in preparation for the transformation of our school's facilities.

It's hard to believe it, but this is the fifth year of Horizons at Saint David's , a summer academic, sports, and enrichment program for boys from predominantly low-income families in our neighboring communities, who are at risk of summer slide. In the summer of 2012, 17 rising first graders comprised the program's first cohort. This summer, 80 boys are enrolled spanning Grades 1 through 5.  Due to the construction work underway at Saint David's, for this summer and the next the program is being held at Nightingale-Bamford School; we are appreciative to have this support from our friends at NBS.  The six-week Horizons program includes interactive, project-based activities that help the boys develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills. They participate in academic, art, music, and hands-on STEAM classes; take swimming lessons; and enjoy sports. It's a fun-filled educational day for the boys and teachers alike. Several Saint David's alumni w...