From the desk of Headmaster Burns Jones
For some time now, I have been promising to report on emerging plans for the future of Cathedral School for Boys (CSB). It takes time to get to know a school well, but I haven’t wanted to wait too long for us to begin moving ahead. We are now in a position to think and act strategically. I am so excited about the prospects for the future of our wonderful school.
The evaluation of a school represents one of the most important responsibilities for any incoming head. This work requires a great deal of listening, analysis, and reflection, and I have never felt that what works for one school works for all schools. Each school is different; each mission is unique. Thus, I have used our Mission’s charge “to provide an excellent education for boys” as the primary guide during this process of transition and assessment. This statement also reconciles with my own belief that schools should strive for excellence in everything they do.
“To provide an excellent education for boys.”
So far, I have held 138 meetings with staff, Board members, parents, other heads of schools, and members of the greater San Francisco community to discuss CSB. I have visited other Bay Area schools. I have also met with countless boys, including just about every member of the eighth-grade class. We have conducted four surveys. We have discussed the School’s future at nine parent coffees. We have enlisted the counsel of three outside educational experts. I have reviewed accreditation reports, prior strategic plans, test scores, and historical documents. I have also studied the research on boys’ education. This may not be a perfect method of approach, but it has been thorough. Who are we? While this transition has allowed me to evaluate where we might be headed, it has also reinforced the attributes that distinguish CSB from other schools and that have made us “excellent” for the better part of a century.
CSB is a boys’ school. We appreciate the distinct educational and social advantages that boys’ schools offer and the benefits that accrue to each boy in this unique environment. CSB is a small school. We understand that our size allows us to know each boy well and to help him become his very best self. CSB is a diverse school. We recognize that all students benefit from a diverse and inclusive school community, and each of us is made better by the multiplicity of people, ideas, and experience at CSB.
CSB is committed to the development of the whole-boy. We acknowledge that responsible elementary and middle school education must attend to all areas of a boy’s development—his mind, his body, his charac- ter, and his spirit. CSB is a school that sets high academic and personal standards. We challenge each boy to be his best, and we push each boy to achieve in everything that he takes on.
These attributes should remain as much a part of Cathedral School’s future as they have its past. Thus, while I am excited about what lies ahead, we should work to preserve the enduring qualities that distinguish a Cathedral School education.
State of the School Report | 2015–2016
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