Nas Cook '21 Founds New Nonprofit

Nas Cook '21 saw something that wasn't right...and now he's making it right.

When Nas was a boy, his father delivered papers for The Tennessean. On more than one occasion, police officers thought Mr. Cook looked like he didn't belong in the neighborhood where he was delivering papers, so they pulled him over. With the looming possibility of being pulled over at any moment simply for the color of his skin, Mr. Cook could not do his job without some degree of fear or trepidation. Nas hated to see what his father had to endure. Adding to his confusion about his father's treatment was the fact that his mother worked for the Davidson County Sheriff's Office. How could there be such a fracture between two groups in society when he saw representatives of those two groups living happily together in his own home?

Then, soon after Nas earned admission into MBA, something changed. The next time Mr. Cook got pulled over, he was proudly wearing an MBA baseball cap. When the officer saw the hat, he immediately apologized to Mr. Cook and let him go about his day. All the other times when the police stopped Mr. Cook were awful and wrong, but this one broke the proverbial camel's back. This incident seems to be the key moment that inspired Nas to take action. He could not let these implicit biases stand unchallenged.

With a year of Princeton under his belt and the backing of its John C. Bogle '51 Fellowship in Civic Service, Nas is back in town running a new nonprofit called Nashville Youth Initiative (NYI). The organization's goal is to "build common experiences between law enforcement and the urban community to promote inclusion and diversity." NYI is addressing the very problems Nas and his family faced. Modeled loosely after some of the police athletics leagues in the northeast, NYI brings police officers and urban youth together here on the MBA campus.

On a typical day at NYI Camp here at MBA, kickball, dodgeball, and other games fill the morning. Officers and kids play alongside each other. It's worth saying again: officers and kids play alongside each other. Then, thanks to the generosity of Slim & Husky's, everyone enjoys delicious pizza together in the MBA dining hall. The day concludes with some academics, discussions about cultural diversity, a public speaking class, and some team-building activities.

In addition to the MNPD officers, Nas also has some fellow MBA alumni and students helping to run the NYI camp: Mark Pyburn '21, Miles Versa '21, Mario Mansour '21, Kendrick Abernathy ‘21, Ashton Terrell ‘21, Johnothan Moore '23, Eriq George '23, and Palmer Phillips '24. MBA is proud to play host to the important work that Nas and his team have done here this summer.

When Nas heads back to school this fall, he'll be leaving Nashville in better shape than he found it.

Rewarding Work Makes Merry Men

Three MBA students have found rewarding work with a local social enterprise. Walker Stevens, Reid Harrington, and Gus Kirkland spend their Saturdays and their summers "connecting those with too much with those with too little" in their work for a thoughtful business called Junkdrop. Think of them as legitimate Robin Hoods for hire. A family wanting to remove old furniture can call Junkdrop who will haul it away and deliver it directly to a family without any furniture at all.

The job is both hard work, as we move couches down flights of stairs, yet also rewarding when we get to see the smiling faces as we fully furnish empty homes. -Gus

The three friends found out about this relatively new business through a family connection. Reid was the first on board, and he soon asked Walker and Gus to join him in this rewarding work that plays an important role in the community. The work of Junkdrop has even garnered attention from Channel 5, The Tennessean, and The Today Show.

It's heartening to see the way friendships here on The Hill can bring out the best in everyone. Moreover, the friendships continue growing as they work alongside each other to "make significant contributions to society". It's what we try to foster here with ample opportunities for teamwork and an environment that catalyzes this kind of caring camaraderie.

The 100th Birthday of a Banned Book

Today, February 2nd, 2022, is the 100th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses.  Joyce's novel is widely regarded to be the most important work of fiction of the 20th century. Published in Paris in 1922, this novel explored the narrative technique of stream of consciousness and a range of other experimental styles. It was banned in Britain and the United States until the mid-1930s because of its exuberant illustration of the functions of the human body, and also the book’s criticism of mainstream views on religion, and nationalism. Set in Dublin on a single day, June 16th, 1904, the book features many of that city’s residents but three characters– the young man Stephen Dedalus, the older Leopold Bloom, and his wife Molly – dominate the book, as does the geography, language and character of Dublin city

First Page

Cover of 1934 Edition

In 2005, one of MBA’s most generous friends presented MBA with a copy of the 1922 edition (only 1,000 copies were printed), and a copy of the USA, 1934 first edition (the first “unbanned” version). The 1934 edition features original inserts of line drawings by Matisse, depicting scenes from Homer’s The Odyssey.

Illustrations by Henri Matisse

 

Both of these editions of the novel may be viewed in the school’s Patrick Wilson Library.

The Iconic Final Lines

The Integrity Gap

Apparently, science teachers can use metaphors. 

At faculty in-service last week, Mr. Greg Ferrell, who is a science teacher and Director of Admissions, took the stage in Paschall Theater and immediately went off script. The stage was already set for the upcoming play ("How to Survive Being in a Shakespeare Play"), and a support beam for the rigging cast a shadow onto the screen. Even though you might think he's merely a callous, data-driven scientist, Mr. Ferrell saw more than a dark bar of shadow cutting vertically through the presentation.

The Substance of the Shadow

Stepping on stage just after presentations about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on students' education, Mr. Ferrell saw an opportunity. That bar of shadow on the screen was an information gap. Just as the shadow obscured information on the screen, the pandemic has created a gap in students' learning. He went beyond sharing this simple metaphor though.

In his next few minutes Mr. Ferrell enumerated many of the people who have helped our students, teachers, and families continue to bridge this pandemic gap. He acknowledged the heroic efforts of teachers like Mike Anderson, Dick Klausner, and Chris Chauvin who have been relentlessly committed to getting our new students up to speed. These teachers have been going beyond the call of duty to get the students where they need to be. Mr. Ferrell could hardly let efforts like these go unmentioned, but he wasn't finished.

As a science teacher, Mr. Ferrell would readily agree that these academic efforts are fruitless without a commitment to overall health and wellness. Because he lives just a few houses away from our school nurse Dr. Ardisson, he happened to witness cars lined up down the street as Dr. Ardisson offered Covid-19 testing from her home during winter break. Her continued efforts to shrink this pandemic gap go far beyond what anyone would expect.

Even though he was supposed to be talking about the upcoming MBA admissions events, Mr. Ferrell did something far more important. Instead of promoting his own agenda, he couldn't help but to shine the spotlight on the good work of his colleagues. Just like so many on campus, including the teachers he mentioned, Mr. Ferrell is more than his job title(s). It's in his nature to promote and share the good that he sees around him, and he'll do that whether it's in his job description or not. He doesn't turn it off and on depending on who's around.  He's the same guy everywhere he goes.

As Mr. Ferrell went off script, he had provided an example of integrity that was absolutely on point. Integrity means you don't show up to classes, lunch tables, practices, games, dinner tables, or faculty in-service meetings with different versions of yourself that depend on the setting. Expecting student Johnny, friend Johnny, and 2nd baseman Johnny to be separate versions of one kid leads to the disintegration of identity. Switching in and out of different personas also causes stress and anxiety. 

What traits are integral to who you are? Find them. Hone them. Use them. Everywhere.

Men of integrity are what MBA aims to send into the world. The school's mission gets a lot easier when we can point to prime examples of integrity like Mr. Ferrell.

Hospitality on The Hill

Hospitality is kind of a big deal. As a school with classical roots, we should probably begin with a nod to the ancient Greeks. Nothing could bring down lightning from Zeus faster than being a bad host. On the flip side, being a good host was a handy way to survive devastating floods and then get transformed into really awesome trees, a la Baucis and Philemon. In another classical example of hospitality's importance, Odysseus probably would've failed to return home without a warm welcome from his loyal swineherd Eumaeus. 

Baucis and Philemon

In addition to its prime position in the classics, hospitality gets the spotlight in the Bible as well. In Genesis, Abraham and Sarah welcome angels into their humble home. As a reward for their hospitality, they are able to have a son, even at their advanced age. In all of these ancient examples, the hosts do not know the true identity of their guests. It doesn't matter. Their charge is to be hospitable and welcoming to anyone and everyone. 

The Hospitality of Abraham

These ancient concepts of hospitality have made their way to us in 2022. In Disney's latest movie Encanto, the hospitality of one character, Julieta, gives her healing super powers. Back in the real world here in Nashville, we work to preserve the ideal of "southern hospitality," a kind of super power attached to this region. Luckily, at MBA we have someone who has been serving as the archetype of hospitality for 20 years. Right alongside Baucis, Philemon, Eumaeus, Abraham, Sarah, and Julieta you can put our own Ms. Susan. 

Ms. Susan

Each day in the dining hall Ms. Susan welcomes the boys with much more than a meal. Her engagement with them as they make their way through the cookie break line or to the panini press shows her genuine care for them. When young alumni come back to campus, they often lament that their college dining experience doesn't measure up to what they had at MBA. That comparison has little to do with the food and plenty to do with the welcoming environment that Ms. Susan creates. 

You can attempt to measure the impact Ms. Susan has made over the past 20 years in some quantitative way like the total number of cookies she's served (as we've done here) or some other way, but nothing quite does the trick. As for thanking her? We'll certainly do our best to keep her safe from floods. We're not sure about getting her turned into a tree, but maybe we could plant one in her honor. For now: We love you, Ms. Susan! Thank you!

What Makes the Dream Work

As we celebrate Homecoming this weekend, it's a good time to think about the spirit of teamwork. 

Certainly this weekend wouldn't even exist without the focal point of the football team under the lights tonight. So much of what MBA aims to instill in our students happens on that team and on all kinds of teams across campus. Before the boys enter the larger world to which they will contribute, they learn how to contribute to the smaller worlds of their MBA teams. An offensive lineman offers skills to the team that a wideout can't, and vice a versa. The geometrician (surprisingly a real word) tackles triangle proofs for the Mathletes while someone else crunches the numbers to bring home a medal in statistics. The expert researchers on the debate team hit the books, and the expert speakers weave their words into a winning argument. Everyone can find a way to contribute within a healthy team dynamic.

Some of the teams on campus aren't even teams of students. One such team that deserves immense credit for their Minervan efforts this week is the MBA Mothers Club. The Spaghetti Supper, Bake Sale, and so many other traditions that go along with this week could never happen without the tireless work of these moms. We won't pretend for one second that the work of this team ends after this weekend; they make countless contributions to MBA throughout the year.

The academic departments are another key example of teamwork on The Hill. Under the leadership of the department chairs, each discipline carves a clear course for the boys. By the time they leave, the boys have a great shot at contributing something meaningful to the world thanks to the teamwork and collegiality of the teachers.

Perhaps most importantly, we learn how to be valuable members of multiple teams at the same time. Sometimes we even find ways for teams to collaborate and cross pollinate as ideas travel from one team to another. A picture captured yesterday on Patriotic Day of Spirit Week brings this kind of teamwork into focus:

Here we see people who belong to multiple teams. They probably agree that some of their teams are more important than others, but their membership in each one enriches their contribution to the others. We'll leave you to ponder this inequality:

Avengers fan < MBA department member < MBA employee < Nashvillian < American < Human

Honor: On

When you think of honor at MBA, you might automatically think about the honor code or the honor council, entities that exist to promote the integrity of academic work. In fact, the word "work" is right in the honor code pledge: "On my honor as a gentleman, I have neither given nor received aid on this work."  During in-service the faculty saw a video in which a current student invoked honor in a way we don't often hear. Asked if MBA encourages students to be their true selves, the student replied, "MBA does stress the value of honor. I feel like a person's true nature comes out when they're honorable, because they're not lying about anything. They're being their true selves." According to him, the idea of honor breaches the bounds of school work and spills over into all aspects of our lives on The Hill. 

Is he right? What are the implications of thinking about honor beyond the honor code?

Just as there can be a temptation to copy the work of boys who excel academically, a similar temptation can arise to "copy" the personality of popular boys. Especially in these formative years, caving to such temptations degrades boys' integrity and bears rotten fruits like toxic masculinity. Boys can find themselves pretending to be something they're not. Extended pretending leads to painful consequences when the facade falls apart, much like a student who continues cheating on his homework and ultimately pays the price on the final exam. 

As a kind of vaccine against such temptations, MBA must help boys know their own self-worth and feel confident in traveling on the path that leads to their best self. When we celebrate boys for their achievements across all areas of the school, we stress the importance of hard work along the way. We don't expect every boy to be a star point guard, a virtuoso upright bass player, or an unbeatable debater. Instead, the successes of boys in certain areas serve to inspire other boys to work harder in their own areas. The game-winning shot of that star point guard might inspire an artist's next sculpture. The cool sounds played by that upright bassist might inspire a poet's next verse. The sublime turns of that debater's argument might inspire a running back's search for the ideal path through the defensive line.

We look forward to building upon the unique strengths of all 825 students on campus this year. They've each got plenty of honorable qualities, so there's no need to copy.

For more about MBA's approach to educating honorable men, click here.

Why Pursue an Excellent Education?

As a member of the World Leading Schools Association, MBA has the opportunity to learn from excellent schools and colleagues around the globe. The exchange of ideas and experience among these schools is invaluable to what we do on The Hill. More to the point, though, is why we do it. In the WLSA conference this summer, that why took center stage.

In some of the conference's opening remarks, Eve Jardine-Young, Principal of Cheltenham Ladies' College, rallied the attendees around our the common goal of providing an excellent education. As a perfect example of educational collegiality spanning both space and time, she quoted an excerpt from a 19th century Eton College handbook whose words still capture the why of an excellent education. 

“At school you are engaged not so much in acquiring knowledge as in making mental efforts under criticism.

“A certain amount of knowledge you can indeed with average faculties acquire so as to retain; nor need you regret the hours you spent on much that is forgotten, for the shadow of lost knowledge at least protects you from many illusions.

“But you go to a great school not so much for knowledge as for arts and habits; for the habit of attention, for the art of expression, for the art of assuming at a moment’s notice a new intellectual position, for the art of entering quickly into another person’s thoughts, for the habit of submitting to censure and refutation, for the art of indicating assent or dissent in graduated terms, for the habit of regarding minute points of accuracy, for the art of working out what is possible in a given time, for taste, for discrimination, for mental courage, and for mental soberness.”

Just as we expect the boys to engage in this kind of education, the MBA faculty aims to continue learning from these exchanges among our excellent global colleagues.

Eton College

Come Back & Go Forth

Returning to The Hill after a weekend, a summer, or a decade offers you a moment to think about where you are. Yes, the campus is a dazzling place these days, but you'll probably think about more than bricks and mortar when you get here.

When you see the Ball Building, you'll think of Ms. Kit's copious candy jars. Or maybe you'll remember the letter that your 6th grade self sent to Mr. Gioia with all your hopes and dreams for your time at MBA.

Catching sight of the Massey Building could spark memories of Mrs. Christeson imparting Cicero's wisdom to you. Or will you think of Mr. Russell teaching you how to write? Or will you remember Mrs. Roberts' never ending supply of unbelievable (but true) stories? Or do you remember that you are back on campus because you're still serving demerits Coach Anderson gave you?

The Ingram Science Building is where Mr. Barclay or Dr. Crowell untangled the laws of physics for you. It's where Mr. Spiegl and Dr. Creamer helped you build rockets and rocket cars. It's where Mr. Hannon choreographed a chemistry lesson with some Muppet accompaniment.

The Davis Building hits you with memories of Ms. Hollifield coaching you all the way through Studio Art AP as you discovered and honed hidden talents. In the hallways you swear you can still hear Mr. Rundberg singing along with the jazz band. 

The Carter Building might call out to you in Mr. Paolicchi's clarion Español. Or maybe you hear Rammstein rumbling from Herr Dougherty's room. Madame O'Connell's warmth and wisdom is still hovering around here as well.

The Dining Hall means Ms. Susan is almost certainly waiting for you with some chocolate chip cookies.

The Lowry Building, while relatively new on campus, has its legendary namesake to nudge your nostalgia. In a kind of English-teachery line of apostolic succession, the likes of Dr. Kinch, Mr. Moxley, and Mr. Klausner never settled for less than your best, and their red ink flowed freely in the meantime.

Memories of Currey Gym now reside in the newest addition to The Hill, the Burkholder Wellness Center (aka The Burk). Here you recall that Coach Owen expected you to bring that brain you'd been training all day. Here you learned that Coach Lanier's geometry lessons lived on the soccer field as well as in the classroom. Here you might remember Scott Dalton '12 leading student sections that swayed and cheered in distracting unison.

Seeing all of this when you return to campus, you realize that your thoughts have dwelled mostly on the people who were here for you. The bricks in the quad and the bell in the tower mean nothing without the people. And, because you were a person the last time you checked, you might just have what it takes to make some other part of the world a better place.

But first you have to serve those demerits...

Otto Olafsson '19 Fights Pandemic in Puerto Rico

We recently received this note from Otto Olafsson '19 who has wasted no time getting started on the "make significant contributions to society" portion of the MBA mission statement.

I am currently a sophomore at Brown University double majoring in Public Health and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. After seeing how the COVID pandemic was gravely impacting minority communities and communities historically left behind/neglected by the US government, I decided to take a semester off from Brown to see where I could volunteer to help and be a part of the solution. After countless cold calls and emails to different public health departments and internships, I finally got in contact with a project out of Puerto Rico in December, 2020.

I received an internship opportunity to work on a CDC study that partnered with the medical school there, the Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) that had been conducting a 12 month, longitudinal study on COVID in Ponce, Puerto Rico’s second largest city. At the time, it was the United States’ only longitudinal study of the virus, and the method in which we studied COVID was that 1,000 participants each took a weekly COVID nasal swab and filled out an accompanying questionnaire that asked about behavioral habits such as mask use, social distancing, and the like.

 

Our team consisted of about a dozen employees from the CDC and the medical school who each shared similar responsibilities in collecting the samples, logging the information, and safely packaging the nasal swabs into these large, red biohazard bags to be sent to the CDC labs in Atlanta, Georgia for testing. The team came from many different backgrounds and countries, but I was the only person from the mainland US. Although my contact with the CDC was throughout the semester, I was only in Ponce working with the CDC for all of February and March.

During my two months there, I had an unforgettable experience living alone and immersing myself in a culturally rich community with the great fortune to aid in the historic endeavor to end this pandemic. Working in the field every day in Ponce opened my eyes to the disparities ingrained in our healthcare system especially in times of crisis when that very system is strained. From everything to accessible testing to vaccine distribution, the disparities between Nashville and Ponce regarding access were shocking. While vaccine hesitancy, particularly in rural areas of Tennessee, causes vaccines to go unused here, elderly people would arrive at the medical school in Puerto Rico before dawn and wait for hours just for the slim chance to get a vaccine if we had any extras. Despite these challenges, the Puerto Rican people amazed me with their resilience, optimism, and care for the common good of everyone on the island. As they did with Hurricane Maria in 2017, Puerto Ricans will also emerge from these difficult times stronger than ever.

5XL Khakis of Power

How fast can Coach Cirillo run the 11.2 at Percy Warner?

Who's got the best ultimate frisbee skills?

What is the current world record time for the marathon?

Why is that lanky cross country kid running through Sylvan Park in a pair of 5XL khakis with names written on the legs in Sharpie?

All of these questions found answers in the 2020 edition of the annual Tour de Pants, an MBA cross country team tradition for more than 25 years. A shroud of mystery nearly as expansive as the 5XL pants themselves surrounds the origins of this tradition. Some say it began with a dare on the steps of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. Others claim it dates all the way back to the real Parthenon as one of the events in the original Olympic Games. A few conspiracy theorists hold that the Tour actually began after the ghost of Montgomery Bell delivered the idea for the Tour to Coach Pruitt on Halloween in 1995. 

Regardless of the contentious debate about its origins, the Tour takes place over the course of an entire week near the conclusion of cross country season each fall. Monday features the boys' knowledge of their coaches' running prowess as they must estimate how fast a particular coach can finish the grueling 11.2 trail at Percy Warner. Tuesday tests their commitment to hitting their training paces for a tempo workout in the park. On Wednesday they perform feats of strength by pumping out pushups and show off their knowledge of the sport by rattling off trivia about competitive running. Thursday brings the Tour to a close as the top four boys in the standings get to be captains for an ultimate frisbee tournament held at MBA's 42nd Avenue fields. The captain of the winning team claims the overall Tour de Pants victory.

On a triumphant run back to campus reminiscent of Caesar's return to Rome after re-subduing Cisalpine Gaul, the Tour victor dons the 5XL khakis emblazoned with the names of the champions of yesteryear. No amount of swishingly awkward wind resistance can dampen the spirits of the Tour winner as he climbs The Hill in triumph.

N.B. The original pair of khakis either disintegrated long ago or has been placed in the Smithsonian.

Captain William Cornelius '37: Superman & Servant

This week leading up to Homecoming students have the chance to don "spirit wear" with a different theme each day. Monday was jersey day, Tuesday was college day, Wednesday was workout day, and today is patriotic day. To go along with today's theme, we're remembering one of our alums: Willie Cornelius '37.



Willie "Superman" Cornelius earned his nickname from his friends due to his athletic ability and mental sharpness. After moving down West End to attend Vanderbilt and serve as captain of the track team, he moved overseas to serve as a captain in WWII.



Captain Cornelius served valiantly until March 7, 1944 when he fell in battle. He posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross for the daring and vital actions he took as described on the official documentation of the award:

...for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy, in action against enemy forces during the occupation of the Admiralty Islands on 7 March 1944. When enemy forces occupied Papitaial Village, opposite Porlaka and constituted a threat to that position, Captain Cornelius voluntarily requested to land a reconnaissance force to locate enemy dispositions. Under hostile fire the force crossed the inlet in rubber boats and Captain Cornelius was the first ashore. He killed four of the enemy before he was fatally wounded. Because of his daring action, Captain Cornelius aided greatly in the collection of valuable information which enabled our forces to press a successful attack. Captain Cornelius' intrepid actions, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty at the cost of his life, exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Men like Captain Cornelius serve as examples of the selflessness MBA attempts to instill in its graduates. We charge them to make "significant contributions to society." The life of Captain Cornelius exceeded that expectation.

Building Community from The Hill

by Brad Gioia

These last few days I have reflected on the state of racial divide in our country and the importance of developing our school’s commitment to greater respect and support of one another. The violence and senselessness in the death of George Floyd has been overwhelming, and the subsequent extent of pain and tension evident in our cities across the country suggests a great need to build a better nation centered on care for one another. Today we have talked with a number of students and faculty and staff about developing this discussion and our efforts. The MBA community should show leadership in this area. I sent the note below to our faculty and staff this morning to ignite that spark of action, interest, and unity:

This weekend highlighted the ways in which we have been touched by the recent racial tensions throughout our country. For the past two nights our Mayor has imposed a curfew on the city because of the violence. I have had e-mails from friends in Moscow, Slovakia, and South Africa about these racial issues in Nashville. I have also heard from several of you. We have an opportunity to build a better school and community, to ensure our students and each other respect one another and all people -- regardless of race or religion or background.

Yesterday afternoon I read a beautifully composed essay by the President of Middlebury College, Laurie Patton. She spoke of the plagues in our country: Covid-19 and racism. She referenced the book The Plague by Albert Camus and how that story portrayed the ways a pestilence can strip away the focus on material wealth and success and lay bare what really matters: human relationships, care, and connection. The two plagues we are facing now have the same potential for all of us. Let's hope we can find ways to strip away all that is wrong and broken in our world. President Patton went on to say that two forms of "oxygen"(she used the poignant and haunting metaphor from George Floyd's last words to connect the issues of racism and the coronavirus -- I can't breathe) can heal our world: education and action. 

At MBA we all have the opportunity to give the world a better view of how we care for one another. Let's start this summer by talking with our students, advisees, and one another.

A Balance of Belonging and Exploring

by Michael Kelly

February is Black History Month. During this month, the African-American contribution to the cultural & social enrichment of the USA is recognized and celebrated. Visit our library to view an exhibition of famous African-American icons and heroes drawn from the world of art, politics, sports, and science. Biographies and pictures of such inspirational figures such as Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, and Katherine Johnson are on display. Black History month is celebrated not only in the USA and Canada, but also in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Black History Month was instituted in the city of Cork, Ireland in 2010. Cork championed abolition in the 19th century, and Frederick Douglas visited there at the time to study the tactics of peaceful protest. MBA students will host several events during Black History Month, including the screening of the movie, Freedom Writers, for students and parents on 2/23. More details on this event and others will follow.

NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson

MBA hosted an International Boys School Coalition conference this past weekend. The event, which explored the theme of “The Culture of a Boys School” featured excellent speakers, including three women from MBA’s board of trustees (Varina Buntin, Beth Harwell & Pam Koban), parents drawn from the world of education (Kathryn Zeuthen & Catharine Hollifield), sports (R.A. Dickey & Neil O’ Donnell), music (Travis Hill), and of course, from our student body. All of our students (Robbie Barnes, Ike Cravens & Kiran Peterson) spoke eloquently and thoughtfully, but I particularly would like to share the observations of senior, Matt Kaplan. I think he captures well the notion of inclusivity and belonging.

“When I first came to MBA as a 7th grader, my familiarity and sense of fitting into the community was a paradox. On the one hand, I had two older brothers and a father who went here, and many older students would already recognize my last name. But on the other hand, I was one of 3 Jewish students entering my class, and most of my friends throughout my life thus far had actually been Jewish. I was familiar with MBA’s campus, and I had attended football games on the Hill longer than I had been able to stay up past 8 o’clock Simultaneously, though, I came from a 6th grade class with 11 students and had no experience mixing with 120 all at once, especially in an all-boys environment. But my unique set of experiences and background only reflected what everyone else was going through at the time. As I would find out gradually over 6 years, each one of us has his own different story to tell, not only in where we came from, but also, and especially, in what we’ve done and who we’ve become since we’ve gotten here. As I’ve progressed through my time here, I have grown to appreciate so much of the work I’ve done here in my classes, and applied it outside of the classroom too, and really found my own intellectual center as a boy, one of curiosity and determination. I have found gratification in working on our school’s newspaper, in competing on our school’s mock trial team, in running on our school’s cross country and track teams, and in serving on our school’s honor council. Within class, I have found the satisfaction of solving a calculus problem, an infatuation with important leaders of American and world history, an appreciation for the subtle ways in which the Chinese language reflects its culture, and the inspiration to make my own life more meaningful through the literature I’ve read here. But I want to particularly emphasize that last part, the books we read, because I think that English class at MBA, at its best, is a great window into the connection between an intellectual center and an emotional center of a boy or young man. The discussions we have here, in an all-boys environment, allow us all to express our thoughts and feelings about the subjects of the books we read, without fear of ridicule or judgement. Reading Great Expectations last year, I would find myself relating to Pip and his experiences and thinking hard about them, and then I would go to class to listen to my friends describe how the novel hit them a different way. I really think we all became smarter through those conversations, and smarter through the essays we would write or quotations we would consider, but more importantly, we gained a better senses of ourselves, together. And that English class is just one way I have found my own emotional center, and it came through my intellectual center, through a shared experience of dealing with human emotion together with my classmates, in an environment where we all felt comfortable doing so. That’s what I think is so special about a community like MBA: it allows us to be vulnerable, we’re allowed to express ourselves, and we go through it all together. The all boys environment, at its best, is one where we are comfortable to launch into ideas and see how they feel, to explore our interests and find our passions. And this place does that through giving us the opportunity to explore our own lives, to use not only our intellectual centers, but our athletic centers, our creative centers, to unlock our emotional centers.” (Edited for length)

Quotation of the Week: “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott

Faithful Friendship Across Deep Differences

“Be a voice, not an echo.” – Cornel West

Watch the full conversation here.

On Monday MBA and St. Paul Christian Academy hosted two eminent scholars and teachers, Dr. Robert George (Princeton University) and Dr. Cornel West (Harvard Divinity School). The event was presented by the Trinity Forum, an organization that “endeavors to cultivate, curate, and disseminate the best of Christian thought, to equip leaders to think, work, and lead wisely and well.” Famously, Dr. George and Dr. West are close friends, though the former aligns himself with conservative thought, and the latter identifies himself with leftist perspectives. West and George spent the evening talking about their friendship and how their differing political, sociological and intellectual points of view ironically brought them together. It was a special treat to listen to these two great intellects talk, one calling on the mesmerizing cadences probably learnt from his Baptist preacher father, the other speaking with the quiet power of eloquence. Both men proved their intellectual greatness by preaching a message of love, of the connectedness of humanity and of the power of dialog, with great simplicity and humility. According to these men, their friendship was founded on the recognition of integrity, thoughtfulness and kindness in each other. They both agreed that these qualities could not have been discerned in each other had neither of them had the willingness to listen. Indeed, West
went on to observe that present day discourse in politics and matters of race had substituted civility and politeness for kindness and respect. I think what he meant was that no one listens to an opposing argument these days, rather, he or she just waits for his or her turn to speak, to harangue, to beat down. West spoke of the modern day phenomenon of the “echo chamber”, where the sound bites of the market place, the slogans and the rants ring loud but hollow and endeavor to replace the high music of morality and thoughtfulness. He cited the People of Color Conference as an example of the echo chamber, “full of like-minded people who might be wrong.” Invoking the ghost of renowned Irish playwright and funny man, Samuel Beckett, West wondered if our arguments should be prefaced with the word “perhaps”, to replace the stridency and self-righteousness prevalent in public discourse today. Perhaps “perhaps” means love.

Speaking of the PoCC, Sophomores Darin Hall and Yadev Surati attended this year’s event in Seattle. The boys worked hard, from 8:00 am each morning until 9:30 each night, discussing issues of social justice, social tolerance, and self-awareness and listening to the life stories of others. Darin and Yadev, who will present their experiences and findings at the PoCC at assembly next semester, were accompanied by Mr. Redmond and me. We attended workshops on Authenticity, Maintaining Inclusion, and The Importance of Minority Faculty in Independent Schools. We will have much to discuss with the Inclusion committee next month. Perhaps the greatest takeaway from the PoCC was that dialog must continue and that solutions must be found for old and continued grievances.

Well, 2019 nears its end and roasting chestnuts, open fires, and great Christmas movies such as Die Hard beckon brightly. We wish all the boys great success in their exams and hope they enjoy a well-deserved rest and holiday. To the parents and faculty and staff too, Jamie and I hope you all have a marvelous break and celebration.

-Michael Kelly & Jamie Redmond

Serving with Swords and Words

by Michael Kelly

MBA’s Veterans Day event honored all those who served in the United States of America’s Armed Forces with a marvelous breakfast ceremony. Mr. Gioia hosted the breakfast in a packed dining hall. Senior Wylie Ritter introduced the MBA choir who performed a powerful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner under the metronomic limbs of choir director Matt Smyth. Friend of MBA and father of two graduates, Matt & Steven, Mr. Steven Smith introduced the keynote speaker for the ceremony, Lieutenant General Keith Huber of the United States Army. Mr. Smith briefly listed Gen. Huber’s many accomplishments. According to Mr. Smith, if General Huber were a graduate of MBA, a more robust rendering of the MBA motto might apply to him because of his courageous actions in the field of combat.

Gen. Huber, whose grandfather served during WWI and whose father served in WWII, spoke passionately about his serving in the US military, how neither he nor any of the men with whom he served ever saw themselves as heroes: they felt that role should be reserved for the families left behind. He noted that 158 alumni of MBA had served in the armed forces. He also spoke about the connection between communication and leadership, how effective leaders still know how to look a person in the eye rather than their relying on social media or email to communicate effectively. General Huber now works at MTSU, overseeing programs that help veterans return to their communities. Unfortunately, not all veterans return and one such veteran was Tom Kettle who wrote this poem for his infant daughter in an attempt to explain the call to serve during war time. Kettle was killed in action on September 9, 1916.

To My Daughter Betty, The Gift of God
In wiser days, my darling rosebud, blown
To beauty proud as was your mother's prime,
In that desired, delayed, incredible time,
You'll ask why I abandoned you, my own,
And the dear heart that was your baby throne,
To dice with death. And oh! they'll give you rhyme
And reason: some will call the thing sublime,
And some decry it in a knowing tone.
So here, while the mad guns curse overhead,
And tired men sigh with mud for couch and floor,
Know that we fools, now with the foolish dead,
Died not for flag, nor King, nor Emperor,
But for a dream, born in a herdsman's shed,
And for the secret Scripture of the poor. 

                                                           Tom Kettle MP, 1880-1916


MBA is proud of our current teachers who have served in the US Military:

Chris Calico (Lieutenant): Panama, Cuba, and Puerto Rico doing counter-drug patrols; Desert Shield; Balkan War. Flight instructor at NAS Kingsville, TX )Math teacher

Dr. Jim Lech: US Air Force Intelligence Analyst 1991-1994. Economics teacher

Joe Sharbel (Lieutenant Colonel), United States Marine Corps: Served as Tank Officer, Data Communications Officer 1983 – 2005. History teacher

Stephen Shone (Capt): West Point Academy graduate 1989. Served in Operation Desert Storm. Captain of a nuclear missile battery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Math teacher.

Patrick Simpson (Capt): Served in the US Army from 2006-2012. Served in Baghdad, Iraq. History teacher; Dean of Lower School

Mike Raney (Lieutenant Colonel): Served in the U.S. Army commanding task force operations in various units in the United States and in Central and South America, Europe and the Middle East. Also served as an instructor at West Point Academy. Math teacher

Steve Walsnovich (Sergeant): Served in Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Chef/Operations Manager, Sage Food Services


In other news, a war of words broke out on campus this past Tuesday where the top gun student team of Aden Barton (’20) and Sam Meacham (’21) took on the sartorially tailored team of Josh Clarke and Kevin Hamrick, two of MBA’s finest debate coaches. In a packed Paschall Theater, Mr. Roddy Story, doyen of the history department and owner of a lovely tweedy blazer, introduced the debaters, the panel of five judges and the topic: “Should President Trump be impeached?” The exchanges were sometimes flinty but always informed and entertaining. Barton spoke with fire and delivered the facts with the dramatic flair of a Kobe restaurant chef. Meacham’s performance was equally convincing as he engaged in razor sharp exchanges with Hamrick who was almost on the ropes until Clarke, with the assurance of a sleepwalker, delivered the coup de grace by quoting a “noted American historian’[s]” incontrovertible evidence for the teacher team. After about 20 seconds consultation between librarian Robbie Quinn and his panel of judges (three teachers and two students), the teacher team was declared the winner in a 3-2 vote. No hanging chads were reported.

Lessons from the Springboks

by Michael Kelly

The Springboks of South Africa won the Rugby World cup last weekend, beating a very good English team in Yokohama, Japan. Incidentally, one of the players on the Springbok team, Francois Louw (’03) was educated at Bishops School in Cape Town where our current exchange students, Joseph, Pierre and Richard usually plod their weary way. I’m sure that they are very proud of him. Mrs. Scholer (on permanent exchange from South Africa you might say) was also rather chuffed with SA’s lifting the Webb Ellis trophy for the third time. Meanwhile, were there an Olympic event for a stoic attitude, Dr. Boyd and Mr. Morrison (our resident Brits) would have finished second. Great sporting spectacles apart, I think we are all familiar with South Africa’s history of apartheid, its government’s excellent decision to end this practice in 1994, and the country’s courageous attempt to move forward through programs of Truth and Reconciliation. The scars and pain caused by such a practice as apartheid or slavery are hard to heal and the work of healing continues slowly. In the spirit of slow healing, the South African rugby team, previously a bastion of white men, made a powerful statement by having as its captain, Siya Kolisi , the first black African to hold that position. Please see Kolisi’s powerful after-match interview here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoX3KOlJOq0

Such a development by South African rugby was prompted by the embracing of forgiveness, the addressing of the truth, and the moving towards reconciliation. In my own native country such moves are painfully slow, but this poem by Michael Longley (I promise to move away from Irish poets next week) describes wonderfully the humility, and generosity needed for one to forgive. In the poem, Longley describes a meeting between Achilles, hero of Greece, and Priam, father of Hector, the hero of Troy. In combat Achilles kills Hector. The image of “sadness filling the building” and the final line of the poem contrasts powerfully the consequence of violence and the humility of forgiveness.

Ceasefire

Put in mind of his own father and moved to tears

Achilles took him by the hand and pushed the old king

Gently away, but Priam curled up at his feet and

Wept with him until their sadness filled the building.

Taking Hector’s corpse into his own hands Achilles

Made sure it was washed and, for the old king’s sake, 

Laid out in uniform, ready for Priam to carry 

Wrapped like a present home to Troy at daybreak.

When they had eaten together, it pleased them both

To stare at each other’s beauty as lovers might, 

Achilles built like a god, Priam good-looking still

And full of conversation, who earlier had sighed:

‘I get down on my knees and do what must be done

And kiss Achilles’ hand, the killer of my son.’ Michael Longley 1994

In other news, we attended two marvelous events last week: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; and the first Community Inclusion Tailgate. The Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner event was graciously hosted by Keith Meacham, Paul & Miky Lim and Clay & Amy Richards at the Lim home. Great food, wonderful conversation and MBA people meeting MBA people all contributed to a marvelous evening. Friday’s Community Inclusion Tailgate had to compete with other gatherings but still many popped in to say hello.

Wintry Wisdom

Late October brings to mind the Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh’s lovely little remembrance of his father in “In Memory of My Father”. Kavanagh’s father kept a small farm and also worked as a cobbler in a small town in the northern part of Ireland. His son Patrick, one of four children, tried to become a cobbler but failed miserably and also worked the farm with a devotional lack of care and a studied incompetence. Nothing was left for him but to become a poet. The poem evokes a late autumn, not one of riotously colored nature and crisp air that almost crackles, but one that beckons winter with its leaden skies, darkening afternoons, and reversing clocks and rain-soaked leaves in mud. I apologize for the sugar-coating prose. In the poem, the poet sees his father in all old men and this phenomenon seems to remind him that to all sons all fathers are sadly a blend of the universal and the unknowable.

In Memory of My Father

Every old man I see
Reminds me of my father
When he had fallen in love with death
One time when sheaves were gathered.

That man I saw in Gardner Street
Stumbled on the kerb was one,
He stared at me half-eyed,
I might have been his son.

And I remember the musician
Faltering over his fiddle
In Bayswater, London,
He too set me the riddle.

Every old man I see
In October-colored weather
Seems to say to me:
"I was once your father."

Patrick Kavanagh 1904-1967

On Monday, during periods 4, 5 & 6, Brandon Hill and Mark Dunkerley '95 from The Oasis Center shared a revelatory presentation that examined the ideas of Agency and Structure in the life of an MBA student, and particularly in the lives of minority students. We were introduced to the idea of agency where an MBA student has control over certain areas of his life such as his resilience, ambition, work ethic, IQ and his self-discipline. These characteristics are valuable assets but may be offset by structural issues, over which he has no control, such as neighborhood, education, economic and family systems. To make matters more complicated, our boys, regardless of economic background, religious denomination, or ethnic origin, are exploring their own specific identity and maybe are trying their best to become the best authentic version of themselves. Such is the boy sitting in front of we teachers in class, and our job is to reach each boy, teach each boy, and help him make the best version of himself before he leaves MBA. Perhaps the best advice Brandon imparted to us was not to ignore difference or tension but to try to understand these things, to begin the conversation. Feedback from this first, introductory session was very positive, and we faculty and staff anticipate more insights into ways to help all of our boys become good men. Thank you Brandon and Mark for an excellent presentation.


-Michael Kelly & Jamie Redmond