THE WORK THAT ENDURES HOW CATHEDRAL LINKS BELONGING, JUSTICE, AND PURPOSE HABITS OF LEADERSHIP
by Aaron Mullen, Director of Community and Student Life
WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED AT CATHEDRAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS nearly twenty years ago, I was the athletics director, focused on drills, practices, and helping boys grow as teammates. But even then, I could feel something deeper taking shape. Whether I was on the field or in the hallways, I found myself drawn to conversations that mattered: Who are you? What do you care about? How can we treat each other with respect?
Today, my title has changed, but the purpose hasn’t. As Director of Community and Student Life, I’m still doing what I’ve always done: working to make Cathedral a place where every boy feels seen, valued, and challenged to grow. It’s deeply human work, and at a time when some schools are being pushed to step back from this work, I want to be clear: At Cathedral School for Boys, this isn’t politics. It’s education. It’s ethics. It’s part of who we are. OUR COMMITMENT The work we do at Cathedral isn’t new, and it isn’t performative. Our approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging (DEIJB) grows from our Episcopal roots and our mission to raise young men of conscience and character. When we say we’re called to “respect the dignity of every human being,” we mean it. That belief shows up in the questions we teach boys to ask: What’s my role in this community? Whose story am I not hearing? Who can I
learn from? What does it mean to lead with empathy? We don’t reserve these conversations for one-off events or themed months. They show up in Chapel, in books we read, in classroom discussions, in quiet conversations after lunch, and in the way we build relationships with families. DEIJB isn’t a side project. It’s part of how we teach. WHY IT MATTERS Lately, schools across the country have been told to pull back, to avoid difficult topics, remove certain books, or stay away from AT CATHEDRAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS, THIS ISN’T POLITICS. IT’S EDUCATION. IT’S ETHICS. IT’S PART OF WHO WE ARE.
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CATHEDRAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS
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