We reached our destination well aware of my limited ability as a trail guide . Humbled , I walked to the Hume Library where rising eighth graders , their parents , and teachers were discussing the high school admissions process . Looking across the room I remembered attending the same meeting in the very same room in 2004 . Each year , Saint David ’ s matriculates young men to the best schools in the region . Every summer , Horizons helps our neighbors achieve the same .
The Junior Advisory Board hosts weekly book clubs for the boys in the summer . The most rewarding part of the experience for me has been staying with the same group of kids over multiple years , and watching their personalities and friendships grow . We ’ ve also hosted field trips to our offices , showing a day in the life of an architect , or an N . Y . P . D . Cyber Crime Detective . While the book club and field trips are certainly fun for the students , and perhaps provide a needed break for the teachers , I ’ ve really enjoyed the opportunity to remain connected with the school in fresh ways . And that may be what the Junior Advisory Board does best . later .” I ’ ve felt that way in some Zoom meetings myself !)
Last summer proved to be an inflection point because our “ campus ” broadened . Today our Junior Advisory Board stretches beyond the City , from New York to San Francisco . Before , Horizons was limited to the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Saint David ’ s campus . This past year , the boys shared “ virtual field trips ” with students from other summer programs . We continued to offer “ Zoomified ” Sports , but the medium allowed the opportunity to invite an N . B . A . athlete to personally host a “ Master P . E . Class .”
When the pandemic seemed interminable , Horizons broadened its scope beyond just six weeks in summer . We have continued our book clubs , and have offered virtual tutoring , math , art , and sports classes throughout the entire school year . Our summer faculty have stayed on as volunteers all year , a fact no amount of gratitude can celebrate enough .
But the biggest news is that Horizons met at Saint David ’ s this summer , the first in-person learning many of the students had experienced in over a year . Of the many factors
“ As an alumnus , I ’ m grateful Horizons provides another way to stay connected to my school and the broader community .”
The Junior Advisory Board raises money for Horizons through an annual party that draws a few hundred Saint David ’ s alumni and friends . Whether they ’ re drawn by the cause , the chance to reconnect with classmates , our raffle prizes , or an open bar and fried food offerings that might mortify a nutritionist , all enjoy what has become an unofficial school reunion . Whatever the attraction , with our friends ’ help the event has raised over $ 50,000 for Horizons at Saint David ’ s .
Our party in the winter of 2020 was Horizons ’ last inperson event . And given the way the boys thrive in the physical space of Saint David ’ s , I wondered how the summer would look . Would Zoom prove to be the “ breaking point ?” Now looking back , Summer 2020 looks more like the inflection point of our mission .
The Saint David ’ s faculty who run Horizons balanced their Spring Zoom teaching with summer planning . They met the extenuating circumstances with extraordinary effort , helping Horizons families procure laptops and install WIFI so their sons could fully participate in the program . Arts and athletics , two of Saint David ’ s pillars , are equally prioritized in Horizons ’ curriculum , so we sent the boys care packages with craft supplies and athletic equipment . We also connected families with local food pantries .
The Junior Advisory Board continued its weekly book clubs over Zoom . ( Personally , I was impressed by a second grader who was clearly “ Zoomed out ” like the rest of us , and announced : “ I ’ m bored with this book . I ’ ll log back on that made this possible , the foremost in my mind is the school ’ s incredible leadership in providing a safe , inviting , and intellectually invigorating place to call home . And this brings the essay back to where it began .
Our homes over the last year – whether apartments , country houses , or exotic Airbnbs – have undoubtedly become claustrophobic . Beautiful , sure , but not where we belong . So when I look at the framed John Wesley quote given me by Saint David ’ s years ago : “ Do all the good you can ... as long as ever you can ,” I ’ m inspired by the ingenuity it invites . I ’ m inspired by how our school has adapted to serve its immediate family . As an alumnus , I ’ m grateful Horizons provides another way to stay connected to my school and the broader community . And I ’ m incredibly proud of how , through Horizons , we extend hospitality to our neighbors in all the “ ways , places , and times ” we can .
I enjoyed volunteering this summer with Horizons – in person – at Saint David ’ s . It was good to be home . M
Taylor Foran ’ 05 has volunteered at Horizons at Saint David ’ s since 2016 .
18 • Saint David ’ s Magazine