Yesterday was the 125th birthday of C.S. Lewis, a man beloved by us at Chapel Field. He is best known by many for his Narnia series, but he is the author of many other works ranging from high scholastic writing on Medieval literature to works of apologetics and theology. Lewis grew up in a nominal Anglican home with a devout mother and a distant father. As a young boy his mother died…
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Today was the birthday of one of the great minds of the Western world and one of the great fathers of the Christian church, St. Augustine. Augustine was born in 354 A.D. in North Africa. He was born to a Christian mother and a non-believing father. While his mother prayed incessantly for his salvation, even to the point of tears, his father wanted him to be a worldly success. He was given the best education his…
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Our school is beaming with pride over the season that our boys’ basketball team has had this year. After an excellent regular season, they have gone on to defend their Section IX championship, defeating The Mount Academy and by defeating Bridgehampton and then later South Kortright in the regionals, they secured a ticket to the State Final Four. They will be competing this Saturday in Glens Falls in the State Semi-Finals against North Warren. It is a joy to be represented by such fine young men and it has been exciting to watch…
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Video Recording: Today is the day each year when the church remembers the death of St. Polycarp. Watch as Bill Spanjer discusses the life and legacy of the saint. In a day such as ours, may we hold saints like Polycarp up for our children to see that they might also be encouraged to be faithful witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.
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As many of you will know, yesterday was Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent. Lent is a season in the church’s calendar, one of fasting and the contemplation of our sin and frailty. It serves to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord. Whether or not you “give something up for Lent” it is a worthwhile thing to spend time reflecting on such deep and important matters. For one, it is crucial for us to recall that we are dust. As the Bible tells…
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Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of my father’s passing. I shared with the upper school students in morning assembly yesterday that it saddens me that so few of them knew him. In fact, it is so difficult for me to get my mind around the fact that most Chapel Field families and even some faculty, did not know “Coach,” as we all fondly called him. He was a larger-than-life person whose imprint and influence were on every nook and cranny of the school. He and my mother poured their entire…
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For most of us, Christmas is a time of celebration with rich food and beautiful settings, a time of sentimentality and nostalgia. It is a time of singing and of joy. Historically the season of Christmas lasts for twelve days concluding on January 5th and punctuated by Epiphany on January 6th. Epiphany is the day that the church remembers the arrival of the magi to worship Jesus, the newborn king. This too, is a story that conjures up sentimentality as we remember the three star-gazing kings coming with their treasures to Bethlehem. In the history of the church, it is the time in which Christians celebrate the revelation of the gospel…
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This week concludes the fourth week of Advent according to the church calendar. Advent refers to the four weeks prior to Christmas and has historically been a season of expectation and contemplation of the coming of the incarnate God. While we are very acquainted with the national and cultural calendar of America, its seasons and holidays, we are less…
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Just a couple of weeks ago, a handful of faculty and I had the privilege to chaperone the Juniors and Seniors on a field trip to Plymouth and to Boston. What an incredible feeling it is to stand where the pilgrims stood as they entered this strange new world filled with hopes and fears, but most of all with resolve, strengthened by their faith in the Triune God. We stood there with…
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It is the danger of any school to think that education is a mechanical process that students move through on their way to inevitable maturity. As such, classes are taught with the short-sighted goal of “getting through the material” and simply preparing the children for the next grade. At Chapel Field we…
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In the book of Proverbs, Solomon guides his son to maturity by passing on his wisdom to him. In Chapter 2 Solomon challenges his son to set out on a hunt for wisdom as if he were searching for silver or for gold. “Cry out for it” he tells him…
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Mark Twain is credited with challenging parents not to let schooling get in the way of their children’s education. Of course, for many people, education and schooling are…
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