Forever Nostalgic : Saint David ’ s Is Home
By Sean Hagerty , S . J . ’ 98
I
remember the first time I heard the popular adage , “ you can ’ t go home again ,” I was a bit distressed . Put simply , the adage conveys the hard reality that things are never quite the same as they were , that change is a fundamental part of life . As one grows older , the home that they knew as children changes into something new . There is a moment in everyone ’ s life when what was once “ home ” is now something else . The prospect of “ home ” changing is always a bit unnerving , especially when we have fond memories of a particular place . We want what made a place special to remain , and change seems to threaten that reality . Yet , we also know that change is essential to growth . Things that do not change , that fail to adapt to new realities , will often wither . The hope is that a balance
Yet , despite the differences the school was still very much the Saint David ’ s of my youth . This was made clear as I stood on the spiral staircase on the second floor and was passed by a dozen or so sixth graders making their way to the chapel . They were gathering , as we had , so many years before . The chapel seemed smaller than I remembered , and yet , was the same . As the boys shuffled in , I heard the dull murmuring of the class before the Chapel Talk began . It was a surreal bit of déjà vu ; in that moment I remembered what it was like to be sitting in those small pews . Only a month before , I had celebrated a mass in the chapel for the faculty before the school year began , but it didn ’ t seem the same . It was only when the boys took their seats that it became “ the chapel ” again . The heart of the school remained . Many things have come and gone since I graduated , and yet there is a skillful balance between necessary change and tradition .
In a certain sense , the adage “ you can ’ t go home ” is correct ; the buildings of my youth are no longer the same . The classrooms have expanded , the hallways lead to different places , and it took me a
“ Many things have come and gone since I graduated , and yet there is a skillful balance between necessary change and tradition .”
can be struck between the two : that what made a place special remains , while at the same time it can adapt to meet new realities .
It was with this in mind that I visited Saint David ’ s a few weeks ago . While I had been back to Saint David ’ s several times over the years , I had been unable to tour the new building that was opened in 2018 . The school had certainly changed , it had seemingly doubled in size , and I wondered whether what made my Saint David ’ s experience special remained . I had memories of the large spiral staircases , the unique smell of the library , and the cafeteria which served as gym and stage , depending on the evening . Walking through the townhouses brought back a flood of memories . Much remained the same : the staircases were there , as were the classrooms where I spent so much time . However , much had also changed . The classrooms were configured differently , the school seemed brighter and better lit , and there was a sense of space which I had not remembered . This space came from the new building which was seamlessly connected to the old . The hallways , which I recalled from my youth , organically flowed into this new space which still seemed brand new . The gym on the top floor was crowded with fourth graders playing basketball , while students on floors below went about their daily tasks . The new auditorium was impressive , much nicer than the stages I came across in high school or college . In many ways , it seemed like an entirely different place , one that I could not have imagined as a boy walking those same halls . minute to learn my way around . If you haven ’ t been back in the last couple of years , you may not recognize as much as you had hoped . But what made Saint David ’ s our school remains . Saint David ’ s boys are the same as they were in generations past . They may use different technology , and inhabit a different space , but they are still Saint David ’ s boys . Much of the faculty and staff may be new to you ( although , there are still several familiar faces !), but they carry on the mission and purpose of their predecessors . While we will never return to Saint David ’ s exactly as it was when we wandered its halls , it still is a home for us . •
Sean Hagerty , S . J . ’ 98 is the chaplain for Saint David ’ s School .
26 • Saint David ’ s Magazine