leadership development
the symbolism of Chinatown’s murals to the financial toll on San Francisco Public Works to clean up public spaces, to Clarion Alley Mural Project’s mission to support social justice messaging. “Students walk away understanding that there are so many answers to one topic, numerous experiences that can explain a broad art form, and that San Francisco bursts forth with art that … can evoke change.” The immediate access students gain through such community partnerships also opens opportunities for boys to question the adult world around them. In the case of Grade 7/8 History Teacher Peter Mundy’s course, The Legal System, students are immersed in San Francisco’s court system, attending multiple cases, engaging with judges, and on occasion weighing in on the merits of lawyers’ arguments. “You can see how capable the boys are of thinking at a very high level,” says Mundy. “We’ll see judges call out lawyers who haven’t done their homework. It’s a great lesson for the kids to see what it means to be prepared, to see adults struggle, to see where an argument is going.” Following Intersession week, Mundy notices positive shifts in classroom dynamics: “The boys make connections to the cases we’re studying in class, and you can see that their experience sank in
much more than any sort of lesson I can give them,” says Mundy.
care of the group.” Academically, Outdoor Ed can also serve boys who may struggle to absorb a lesson in a traditional classroom setting. A lesson on the impact of agriculture on the environment or trophic cascades and the recovery of Pacific otters can suddenly come to life when students are in the field learning first-hand about raising cattle from a local rancher or observing animals in habitat from the hull of a kayak. “The students start to make connections about the bigger picture when they are out there,” Rahlson says. “Those are the kids who become the experts, answering all the questions.”
Outdoor Education: Fostering Responsibility & Curiosity Much like Intersession and service opportunities, Outdoor Education trips put students into immediate, unique scenarios (think pitching tents, building campfires, and prepping meals) that cannot be replicated in the classroom. “By forcing adversity on the boys, we put them in situations where they have to show their character and rise to the occasion,” says current Director of Upper School Lukas Rahlson, who plans and chaperones trips for Grade 4–7 students. “Teaching personal responsibility, teamwork, and leadership is built into every part of these trips, like setting up your tent — we don’t do it for them. They have to get out there and set it up themselves. They have to work together in ways where there are direct outcomes, where everyone has to pitch in in order for everyone to succeed. It’s what I call ‘expedition mentality’: We are all part of the same expedition, and we need to take care of ourselves so that we can help take
Language & Service Trips Abroad:
Broadening Perspectives
Connection is at the heart of Cathedral’s language trips to Taiwan, China, and Central America where Grade 7 and 8 students immerse themselves in language study and cultural exchanges while living with local families. “These are not sightseeing trips,” Harlow emphasizes. “Being away from home, speaking the language you’ve been studying, having no digital access, is all pretty novel. These
12 | cathedral school for boys
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