Category: Episcopal Identity

Seventy toddlers follow a cross and banner into chapel every week at St. David’s Episcopal Day School in Wilmington, DE. A bible sits atop the altar. Nearby, a single apple hangs from a five-foot-tall ficus tree so fake that it passes as real. A stuffed-animal snake sssslithers onto the sssscene.  Read More »

I have always been a massive fan of superhero films. There is something so captivating about watching the various powers be used for good; the suspense that the music brings as you await to find out what obstacles are being faced, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with the storyline: love, loss, resurrection, return, and the entirety of Joseph Campbell's hero's journey living out before your eyes!  Read More »

An eighth-grade student recently offered her chapel homily on the theme of “What is the Meaning of Life?” and connected it to the story of Jacob wrestling with God. She said “my purpose in life... Read More »

Each August, as students return and classrooms come alive again, I’m reminded of how I found a place in Episcopal schools—and why I’ve rooted my career in the Episcopal school tradition.... Read More »

Although it was 36 years ago, I still vividly remember my interview for a teaching position at Campbell Hall. At the time, I was teaching at an independent school in Connecticut. I had been offered a... Read More »

When we survey our parents about why they choose to send their children to Grace, we provide a long list of possible answers. We always include the school’s Episcopal identity as an option. Without fail, it ranks dead last. What ranks highest? Parents tell us again and again that they pick Grace for its community and for the academic and ethical values that define it. I don’t think it’s a stretch to argue that, whether or not folks realize it, the distinctive qualities of our community emerge from the bedrock commitments of our Episcopal identity. Those academic and ethical values that define our community? We didn’t arrive at them by accident. Read More »

Not every student will be a Naya Bakaes. By that I mean, not every student in an Episcopal school will start a robust peer mentoring program, as Naya did, before graduating from high school. That... Read More »