Learning to Lead with Principle

In seventh grade, boys take on a project that’s as much about character as it is about scholarship. Agents for the Good is an interdisciplinary study that centers on a thesis-driven essay about a humanitarian of the student’s choosing—someone whose life’s work had a meaningful impact on others. Past subjects have ranged from Paul Newman and Harriet Tubman to Medgar Evers and Oskar Schindler, with boys often choosing figures who align with personal interests or recent classroom studies.

But the project doesn’t end with the page. Each boy also prepares and delivers a Chapel talk—an address that draws on three of the following four elements: research, personal experience, Biblical stories, and the mission of the school to convey a message about what it means to live with purpose and principle. In one-on-one sessions with the Headmaster, boys refine public speaking skills along with the content and clarity of their ideas.

Some speak about the renowned figures from their essays. Others choose role models closer to home—a coach, a grandparent, a parent. All are asked to reflect not just on the actions of others, but on the kind of person they aspire to be. The result is often a Chapel talk that’s both memorable and moving—shaped by personal insight, moral reflection, and the boy’s own voice.