Insights from the Principal: This is part two of a three-part series where Principal Lee MacMaster reflects on the value of boys’ education and how a school designed specifically for boys can help them learn, grow and flourish.
Boys need opportunities to discover who they are beyond the classroom.
At Xavier, a boy might discover his capacity for leadership on the sporting field, his creativity through music or drama, his intellectual curiosity through debating or academic competition, his courage through outdoor education, his compassion through service, or his confidence through simply being asked to stand before others and speak.
These experiences matter.
They help boys discover gifts they may not yet know they possess.
They teach resilience when things do not go according to plan. They teach humility when someone else is better. They teach perseverance when improvement is slow. They teach teamwork when individual ambition must give way to collective purpose.
And they create moments when a boy can look back and say, “I didn't think I could do that”. That is education too.
Indeed, Xavier's own articulation of its educational philosophy speaks of developing the intellectual, physical, cultural, spiritual and personal dimensions of every student.
This is what I have seen during my first six months. I have seen boys who are exceptionally accomplished. I have also seen boys who are still finding their way. And I have seen the extraordinary capacity of a school community to help both groups grow.
