Headmaster Jon O'Brien laments the turn of the tide, where he sees more students spending time on the computer or in front of the TV instead of enjoying the beauty of nature. The message is simple: go outside, kids.
Will Speers delivers a chapel talk just before the Diversity Forum weekend. He speaks about the hard questions, the difficult discussions that are necessary in any relationship...
Talk given at Holderness School in New Hampshire during a sabbatical year. Reflections on OutBack: "As I look back on this year, much of that transition has to do with Holderness, with my sabbatical, and with the opportunity to experience OutBack...
Reflections on a sabbatical year at Holderness School in New Hampshire. Feeling vulnerable in the face of a new situation and in facing nature. Learning to live without control.
Headmaster Jon O'Brien finally answers to the accusations that St. Andrew's School tries to mold their students to their specifications. Guilty as charged!..
Headmaster Jon O'Brien discusses the evolution of faculty/senior leadership within St. Andrew's - how we moved away from harsh authoritative system to a more supportive community of senior guidance and faculty involvement.
Speaks of the Book of Job and righteous anger, defiance and rebellion. "... what kind of life would we have in such complaisance and emotional apathy?" Discusses the movie "Priest", James Pipe's football game, the 60s.
Headmaster Jon O'Brien recounts the events that lead to his decision to become a teacher. He encourages the student body to find a pursuit that they can believe in, rather than just settling on something that provides financial gain.
Taking personal time to clear one's head is essential to well-being. Headmaster Jon O'Brien took a day trip to Smith Island for just such an occasion -- to escape the cacophony of every day life...
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted...a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." ..
"... for a country founded on the principles of cultural diversity, religious and intellectual freedom, our tolerance, our ability to meet this rich challenge of multi-culturalism, has been sorely tested." Preparing for multicultural week at St...
Headmaster Jon O'Brien recalls his summers working for Allied Moving Vans, and how the opportunity to drive a cross-country haul provided him with exposure to experiences not found in suburban Connecticut.
Headmaster Jon O'Brien discusses the contradiction of the desire to be a part of a group while also being seen as an individual, and the ways these two desires can undo each other.
Yale vs Princeton football game. Seeing Princeton fealty as a form of adolescent rebellion. Coming to terms with viewing parents as human beings. Boarding school as family.
Life's journey: "How we face that challenge, how we experience it, what happens during the journey -- all these uncover our humanity, our backbone, our purpose." Tale told of the survival of a family in a Utah blizzard.
An excerpted chapel talk given in 1992 by Tad Roach prior to his becoming headmaster. He discusses Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. The main emphasis is on the role of the wives of politicians.
This excerpted chapel talk by Headmaster Jon O'Brien discusses the stress of boarding school life. His message is not only for the students but for the faculty as well: "Every human needs time to laugh and play."
"One way to consider God’s answer to prayer, say for someone to be healed, is to think in terms, not of asking him to re-arrange the molecules that follow physical laws...so that my sickness may go away, but rather asking for strength to do all that ..
Headmaster Jon O'Brien speaks about resisting the urge to live a life dictated by external mechanisms. Though it can be challenging, the ability to use an internal decision-making process can be developed over time...
Headmaster Jon O'Brien recognizes that while the chapel program may not always be celebrated among the student body, whether the reason is conflict of religious views or that it eats free time, he believes chapel is important time to reflect upon iss..
Exploring essays by Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker and finding inner creativity. Discusses link between heritage and creativity. Speers ancestors: Roger Sherman, Peter Carter, William Speers, Bessy Kent.
"You live in a community where people try to listen, try to forgive. Your presence and being is integral to the rich tapestry of people at St. Andrew's. The individual matters....Yet our days at St...