Seventy-four boys representing 27 middle schools and 21 different communities across New Jersey visited Grand & Warren on March 23 for an annual workshop on leadership led by Prep juniors and seniors and hosted in partnership with students from Saint Dominic Academy.
Among the schools represented were Academy of Our Lady of Grace; All Saints Catholic Academy; All Saints Episcopal Day School; Corpus Christi School; Good Shepherd Academy; Hamilton Park Montessori; Hoboken Catholic; Hoboken Charter School; Hoboken Dual Language Charter School; Holy Trinity; Hudson Montessori School; Jersey City Global Charter School; Lacordaire Academy; Learning Community Charter School; Notre Dame Academy; OLC; Philip’s Academy Charter School; Primary Prep; Queen of Peace; Robert Treat Academy; Sacred Heart School; Saint Michael’s School; St. Francis Academy; St. Joseph School; St. Thomas the Apostle School; The Ethical Community Charter School; The Waterfront Schools; and Waterfront Montessori School.
After a welcome in the library from Director of Admissions Mr. John Irvine, ’83, P’11, attendees forged new connections through icebreaker activities in our gym. They then took part in various activities throughout the day, including talks from Prep students, small group discussions, and reflections on themes like setting high standards, asking questions, and getting involved.
A cohort of middle school girls then joined them in the Commons, led by students from Saint Dominic Academy in Jersey City.
Keynote speeches followed from Henry Bastable, ’27 of Prep and Keira Barth, ’26 of SDA.
“Wherever you do end up going to high school, you need to take the first step. You need to walk through the door and say ‘yes’ to opportunities,” Bastable said.
“When I was presented with opportunities, I asked myself: why should I do this?…Imagine the better question: why shouldn’t I do this?”
“A true leader is someone who takes responsibility for their actions, shows kindness even when it’s not easy, listens to others and values different perspectives, stays disciplined and focused on their goals, and most importantly, leads themselves before trying to lead others,” Barth offered.
The day concluded with a prayer and remarks from Prep Principal Mr. Chris Caulfield, ’03, who drew analogies to works of literature from his tenure as a Prep English teacher, books like Beloved, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Kite Runner.
“Each and every one of you brings something unique and different to the table of leadership, so have the confidence to start today by committing yourself to being a leader in the novel of your life,” he said.
We thank everyone who joined us that day.