From the Headmaster
February 2018
school-wide theme for the year, captures the mission’s goal
“to educate boys to fulfill their potential.”
Dear Saint David’s School Community,
These are exciting days on 89th Street! Construction
continues apace and the school’s 67th year is successfully
half-way through. Omnium Nobis—all that we can be—our
In the classical tradition from which Saint David’s draws
its pedagogical inspiration, we find the ancient Greek
word eudaimonia, which loosely translated means “human
flourishing.” We want our boys to flourish academically,
athletically, artistically, and spiritually. To do so, requires
them to possess a good spirit by internalizing a practical
wisdom, sound virtues, and a sense of happiness. Our aim is
that they not only possess this “good” spirit, but also exercise
it throughout their schooling and their lives.
In this issue of Saint David’s Magazine we zoom in
on our school’s physical expansion and consolidation, a
few curricular areas within our program, and a couple of
our efforts in service of the greater good, and attempt to
understand and explore our “eudaimonia” through the eyes
and experiences of our exceptional teachers, coaches, alums,
and a few special partners.
Our hope in this issue, this year, and through the continued
exercise of our mission, is that our boys will not only be all
that they can be, but that their foundation at Saint David’s
will lead them to be all that they will be—Nunc in Futurum.
I remain,
Appreciatively and respectfully yours,
D r. O’Hal l o ran at the const r u c t i on To p pi ng O f f
Ceremony, in what will be the Upper Gymnasium.
Saint David’s is an elementary school for boys of all
faiths whose parents seek a school program rooted in
the moral and theological traditions of the Catholic
Church. Pupils are admitted to Pre-Kindergarten
through Grade Eight. The school is located at Twelve
East Eighty-ninth Street in Manhattan.
Since its founding in 1951, Saint David’s has graduated more
than 2,000 students. They have gone on to the most competitive
New York City secondary schools and regional boarding schools,
and from there to ranking universities and colleges throughout
the nation.
The school is accredited by the New York State Association of
Independent Schools and is a member of the National Association
of Independent Schools, subscribing to its Principles of Good
Practice for admission of students. Saint David’s also belongs to
2 • Saint David’s Magazine
P. David O’Halloran
the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New
York. The school’s headmaster is Dr. P. David O’Halloran.
Community and Inclusion
In addition to our rigorous academic program and in keeping with
our Catholic traditions, Saint David’s is known for its sense of family,
compassion, and kindness. Our community includes boys and
faculty that reflect the cultural, ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, and
religious diversity of New York City. At Saint David’s, we believe
that being curious without prejudice and without bias is essential to
a well-informed, educated young man. Our boys develop cultural
competency as they are taught to respect and embrace difference in
all its myriad manifestations. Boys broaden their perspectives as they
learn from other traditions, creeds, and ways of life — fundamental
in fulfilling the aspiration of the Founders “that they be good men.”