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Last December, our headmaster assembled a team of faculty to consider the challenges of AI in education. After six months of reviewing the research, reflecting on the school's mission, and discussing at-length the possibilities and implications of AI for both teachers and students, this task force published its report in July. The report is a way to communicate the school's ongoing thought process around AI policies and procedures, rooted in virtue. Today we welcome two members of the task force, upper school head Michael Moynihan and upper school logic and history teacher Mark Grannis, to share some takeaways from the group's discussions. They explain how they use—and how they don't use—AI in their own classrooms, as well as how they frame the issue to students and parents. Chapters: 3:19 AI's rapid arrival 5:47 The Heights AI Task Force 9:35 AI use for teachers 13:09 AI misuse for teachers 17:44 Restructuring strategies: homework, quizzes, remedial modules 22:47 Don't give up on writing assignments 25:40 Value work over outcomes 29:44 Writing as thinking 35:25 Trust in a school community 41:33 Non-AI digital resources in education 44:42 The role of parents Links: "Making AI Work for the Good of Our Students," Report of the Heights AI Task Force, 2026 ChatGPT Holds These Truths to be Self-Evident by Mark Grannis Teaching Sovereign Knowers Series by Michael Moynihan The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning—and How to Help Them Thrive Again by Jared Cooney Horvath Also on the Forum: Struggling in Math: Where Digital Tools Can Assist in Academic Virtue featuring David Maxham The Walled Garden: Critical Considerations for Classroom AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti AI and the Take-Home Essay by Dr. Matthew Mehan Featured Opportunities: Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

This age of AI puts a spotlight on the differentiated power of "thinking well." But the best way to teach students to think well is counterintuitive: we have to be willing to make mistakes. Students and teachers alike will have to get comfortable with the idea of mistakes as part of the journey toward critical engagement. In this week's episode, music teacher Pat Love and middle school teacher Shane O'Neill liken education to good jazz. Students absorb the traditions, imitate the masters, try to make it their own, and learn by trial and error under a trusted guide. Chapters: 2:37 The jazz and education analogy 7:50 Making space in the classroom to try—and fail 9:46 Teacher habits for student agency 15:21 Tests, assignments, seminars 18:54 The educative power of imitation 22:42 Grades, and when a kid is "playing scared" 27:43 Turning correction into learning 31:07 Fewer one-right-answers 37:06 Drawing out participation 41:48 Transmitting a culture, not just a subject 43:58 Addressing philosophical mistakes Links: The Risk of Education: Discovering Our Ultimate Destiny by Luigi Giussani Also on the Forum: The Art and Act of Knowing—and What It Means for Teaching featuring Dr. Jonathan Buttaci Educating Boys: Nature, Risk, and the Making of Men by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti Teaching Sovereign Knowers Series by Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Admittedly, today's world is far from the Garden where the world began. If we think of our vocations as "recovering the Garden," we may wonder whether it is best to go out into the world with a missionary spirit or retreat to morally safer spaces and protect the flame. Which has the better impact on the world and our families? Can one go into the world and not lose his soul? And what does the world really need from us? In his annual Headmaster's Lecture, Alvaro de Vicente encourages us to encounter the world with Christian confidence. We win it back through our families and professional work—and we should prepare our sons to do the same. For, Mr. de Vicente argues, there is no tension here: going into the world to serve with a Christian spirit is good for the world and good for the man. Chapters: 3:52 Our sons going into the world 6:11 The world: God's gift to man 13:15 Sin: breaking the gift 18:32 Christ: redemption of the gift 20:42 Evil resides where good leaves 28:81 Winning back the world 30:12 How the Church views worldly professions 39:56 What work is for 42:30 The limits of "good" work 48:19 Good work is formative 50:22 Encouraging the next generation Links: "Chapter V: The Manners of the Christians" in Epistle to Diognetus by Mathetes Forty Gospel Homilies by Pope St. Gregory the Great The Way of the Cross by St. Josemaría Escrivá Gaudium et Spes pastoral constitution by the Second Vatican Council Also on the Forum: The World Needs Your Son to Be Professionally Ambitious by Alvaro de Vicente Elon Musk, Mother Teresa, and Why Catholic Schools Should Be Secular by Nate Gadiano Featured Opportunities: Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

This fall marks the 25th anniversary of the institution of the Heights Clans. These competitive bodies engage in festivity six days a year, including two full Clan Days every All Saints Day and Feast of the Annunciation. This participates in the rich liturgical and intellectual traditions of authentic feasting, using the building blocks of worship, arts, food, and games. Today on HeightsCast, middle school teacher and clans gamemaster/meister Kyle Blackmer explores why a school—or any community—should consider a commitment to these rituals of festival. Chapters: 4:28 Pieper's definition of festival 7:33 Each festival unique to its place 9:01 Heights Clan Days 15:03 Why feasting is important 20:43 Connecting a student body 22:19 A liturgical basis 24:28 Preparation: the fast before the feast 28:21 Practical challenges to festival Links: The Heights Student Life: Clans, containing more information about our four clans and clan festival days In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity by Josef Pieper "The Immortal Power of Astonishment and Laughter" by G. K. Chesterton Around the Year with the von Trapp Family by Maria von Trapp The Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen Also on the Forum: In Defense of Victory by Kyle Blackmer Featured Opportunities: Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026) Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

At The Heights, every teacher functions as a mentor for students. This is more than a figure of speech; it's the character of certain student-teacher relationships with routine check-ins oriented toward holistic personal growth. This week on HeightsCast, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente considers the scope of different kinds of advisory, and outlines his vision for what makes real, effective mentorship. Chapters: 4:36 Whether all teachers are mentors 9:07 All advisory: goals, agency, and disposition 12:40 Spiritual direction and coaching 16:29 The scope of our mentoring program 20:20 Primary relationships for growth 23:17 Secondary supports for growth 26:49 A holistic mentor 28:23 Mentees of another faith 31:06 Handling big questions Links: The Heights School Mentoring Program, including links to the mentoring handbook and topics by age Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta by St. Teresa of Calcutta Also on the Forum: The Mentoring Playlist on The Heights Forum, containing essays and podcasts on the topic Featured Opportunities: Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026) Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (November 7, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

There's a sea of online math supplements, from drills to games to whole courses, all promising advancement for your struggling student (or your stellar student who has outpaced his cohort). What kind of program, if any, is right for your student? Under what conditions are digital tools most effective? Heights math teacher David Maxham gives us an extremely practical guide to the best digital resources out there and how to use them effectively. He also shares the failure modes you may not see coming when "hiring" a digital tutor for your child. Chapters: 2:19 Digital tools at a liberal arts school 3:47 For students at both ends of the spectrum 11:41 Online drills: assisting academic virtue 14:12 Parent guidance still needed 18:56 Benefits of in-person lessons 23:32 How digital data can help teachers 27:08 Getting student buy-in, gaining confidence 32:22 Whole online courses: Math Academy over Khan 41:44 Remediation without embarrassment 46:46 Common pitfalls to outside help Links: Math Facts Lab drills, broadly recommended by Mr. Maxham Rocket Math drills, also mentioned Math Academy courses, recommended by Mr. Maxham Khan Academy courses, Mr. Maxham says best as a supplement, not as a class Matific, gamified math practice Beast Academy The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning—and How to Help Them Thrive Again by Jared Cooney Horvath Also on the Forum: Automaticity and Creativity by David Maxham Automaticity: Where 'Rote' Fits into the Liberal Arts featuring David Maxham How to Help Your Son When He Struggles Academically: Part I by Michael Moynihan How to Help Your Son When He Struggles Academically: Part II by Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026) – link coming soon Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (early November 2026) – link coming soon Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

How do we know whether we know something? How do we know whether our son or student has apprehended a lesson? Sometimes we hear the liberal arts discussed as a "beholding of great things." But Catholic University professor Dr. Jonathan Buttaci reminds us they are liberal arts—implying a craft or adept handling of knowledge. In other words, coming to know something is not passive at all. It's an act. And that act does not primarily belong to the teacher. This week on HeightsCast, Dr. Buttaci talks epistemology and what the role of the teacher really is in bringing young people to knowledge. Chapters: 3:59 Knowledge: active, not passive 12:56 Practical ends of knowledge 18:02 Contemplation: Buttaci v. Pieper 24:04 Liberal arts 30:16 Knowing bestows freedom 35:29 Where truth and creativity meet 42:27 The power of the teacher 43:52 How teachers can preserve the joy of discovery 57:59 Teaching rote, grindstone skills 01:05:08 A teacher's job is joyful Links: Education Is Not about Content Transmission by Dr. Andrew Abela, notes on a presentation by Dr. Jonathan Buttaci Magnifica Humanitas, papal encyclical by Pope Leo XIV Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper The Idea of a University by John Henry Newman Also on the Forum: Automaticity and Creativity by David Maxham Automaticity: Where 'Rote' Fits into the Liberal Arts featuring David Maxham The Teacher's Voice featuring Tom Steenson Teaching Sovereign Knowers Series by Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026) – link coming soon Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (early November 2026) – link coming soon Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

The most famous work of our newest Doctor of the Church is, of course, The Idea of a University—a collection that explores the essence of a Catholic university education. But fewer people know about St. John Henry Newman's extensive efforts in primary and secondary education: Newman's part was not just as an educational theorist, but a school founder, who played every nitty-gritty role from fundraising to parent relations, from essay grading to student mentoring, even processing repair orders and playing second violin to fill out the little school's orchestra. Dr. Paul Shrimpton has spent decades studying Newman's interest in education, from theory to practice. Today on HeightsCast, he invites us into Newman's vision for younger students, their teachers, and grammar schools as places of "grounding" and "a really liberal education." Chapters: 00:05:18 Co-patron of the Church's educational mission 00:07:50 Timeline of Newman as educator 00:20:25 Different models of student freedom 00:27:39 Methods of study for young people 00:34:11 Newman: a personal, hands-on educator 00:39:26 The role of a teacher 00:48:23 Partnership with parents 00:57:39 Forthcoming book on Newman: education and practice Links: "Drawing New Maps of Hope" apostolic letter by Pope Leo XIV The Idea of a University by John Henry Newman Historical Sketches, especially vol. 3, by John Henry Newman "Personal Influence: The Means of Propagating Truth" by John Henry Newman The Adeodatus Series on Catholic Education & Culture by The Catholic University of America Press (publisher for Dr. Shrimpton's forthcoming book, St. John Henry Newman and his Idea of a School, spring 2027) A Catholic Eton?: Newman's Oratory School by Paul Shrimpton The Making of Men: Idea and Reality of Newman's University in Oxford and Dublin by Paul Shrimpton The Most Dangerous Man in England: Newman and the Laity by Paul Shrimpton Also on the Forum: A Whole Education: Teaching Persons, Not Just Subjects featuring Michael Moynihan The Idea of a Catholic University featuring Dr. Peter Kilpatrick Featured Opportunities: Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Statistics show that young people today are spending significantly less time socializing in face-to-face mixed company, across genders, than previous generations. This week on HeightsCast, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente looks at how we might assess and address boy-girl socialization for our sons, helping the modern boy to develop healthy relationships in the right context. Chapters: 2:46 "Normal" is not necessarily the measure 5:53 Healthy group dynamics 7:30 Growth comes in stages 12:12 The role of schools 19:25 The role of families 26:43 Manners and the virtue of charity 32:56 When to make a correction Also on the Forum: On Home as Social Hub: The Importance of Hosting Our Sons and Their Friends featuring Tom Royals Why Boys Need Dating Coaches and How to Be One by Alvaro de Vicente Guidelines for Dating featuring Alvaro de Vicente The Role of Parents in the Conspiracy for the Good featuring Alvaro de Vicente Featured Opportunities: Headmaster's Lecture at The Heights School (October 3, 2026) – link coming soon Fall Open House at The Heights School (October 24, 2026) Fatherhood Conference at The Heights School (early November 2026) – link coming soon Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

"Friendship is one of the most indispensable requirements of life," says Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics. But, adds Alasdair MacInytre, it's also "difficult and often enough impossible—especially under the conditions characteristic of contemporary modernity." Today on HeightsCast, long-time colleagues (and friends!) Austin Hatch and Tom Steenson reflect on the nature of friendship, and why it was chosen as the theme for the 2026 Convivium Conference for Teaching Men, hosted by The Heights Forum this November. What is the value of friendships among fellow faculty? What are the ingredients of that friendship? How should individual teachers seek it? How can school leaders foster it? And how might the students benefit? Mr. Hatch and Mr. Steenson begin to scratch the surface of these questions in preparation for the deep-dive at this year's Convivium. If you'd like to join us, registrations, essays for the conference companion, and proposals for breakout sessions are now being accepted. Chapters: 7:42 Aristotle and Cicero on friendship 12:46 Teaching: a shared life 16:09 Friendship: shared work, shared mission 20:31 Time constraints to friendship 24:50 Faculty friendship's effect on students 32:41 Maintaining culture as the school grows 38:34 Education: a raising of friends 44:24 Best practices for school leaders, individual teachers Links: De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture Keynote: Is Friendship Possible? featuring Alasdair MacInytre "Economy and Pleasure" in The Art of the Commonplace by Wendell Berry Also on the Forum: Faculty of Friends: Making Schools into Communities featuring Tom Cox Friendship for Fathers: John Cuddeback on Living and Teaching the Art featuring Dr. John Cuddeback On Hiring Teachers: Drafting a Faculty of Friends featuring Alvaro de Vicente

In the charged "Achievement Culture" we live in today, both parent and student anxiety have skyrocketed. There are the usual culprits, from a changing economic landscape to social media and comparison culture. But ultimately, Michael Moynihan believes our professional and academic anxieties come from a crisis of meaning for the term 'work.' Drawing on his experience as a math teacher, head of the upper school at The Heights, and father of a large family, Mr. Moynihan suggests that we can reduce anxiety by understanding 'work' not as a means of self-optimization or self-advancement, but primarily self-gift. Sanctifying our work tempers both extremes of anxiety and avoidance. Chapters: 5:43 A results-based system meets parental pressure 8:16 Modern crisis of meaning for work 12:03 Helping young people see beyond the immediate, material 14:46 Sanctifying work for anxious students 20:57 Sanctifying work for avoidant students 25:12 Meaningful chores: an antidote to disordered work 28:02 Mastery over grades Links: Answering Anxiety by Michael Moynihan The Father and His Family: A Guidebook for Aspiring, New, and Experienced Fathers by Michael Moynihan Decisive Parenting: Forming Authentic Freedom in Your Children by Michael Moynihan The Talk and Beyond: Raising Children in a Confused Culture by Michael Moynihan The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Children Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt Also on the Forum: How to Not Be Anxious as a Parent by Alvaro de Vicente Automaticity: Where 'Rote' Fits into the Liberal Arts featuring David Maxham Automaticity and Creativity by David Maxham Hopeful Parents, Hopeful Sons by Alvaro de Vicente His Anxiety and Ours: Confessions of an Anxious Parent who Happens to Be a Therapist featuring Alex Berthé Featured Opportunities: Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026) Leaders Initiative, a year-long mentoring partnership for school leaders

Natural History is a largely outdoor, discovery-based class for our lower school students, where they see the Valley as a textbook and the seasons as its chapters. Eric Heil has taught Natural History to his third graders for decades now, and in this rebroadcast from 2021, he unpacks the class's lessons of close observation, pattern recognition, scientific inquiry, identification, wonder, and the foundations of philosophy—all among 8- to 11-year-olds. Chapters: 3:10 Personal observation and discovery 5:35 The outdoors: an alternative textbook 9:55 Boys and nature journals 19:49 Intrinsic value in nature study 25:47 Junior philosophy: substance and accidents 31:50 "I see, I think of, I wonder" 36:23 Starting a nature study at your school Links: Webinar: How to Keep a Nature Journal featuring Eric Heil and Peter Vitz Fact or Opinion: On Preventing (or Unwinding) Moral Relativism by Michael Moynihan The Laws Guide to Drawing Nature and Journaling by John Muir Laws Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock A Natural History of North American Trees by Donald Culross Peattie Nature's Events: A Notebook of the Unfolding Seasons by John Serrao Also on the Forum: Teaching Sovereign Knowers, a series on science education by Michael Moynihan Educating Boys: Nature, Risk, and the Making of Men by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti On Nature Journals and Observant Souls featuring Eric Heil "Can I Catch It?": On Handling Wildlife featuring Eric Heil Featured Opportunities: Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Our headmaster often uses this paradigm for the ideal Heights graduate: he's the kind of young man you'd want your daughter to marry. In a recent article for the Forum, Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti asked: in our current culture, how does a boy grow up to be the kind of man who desires that life? Delving into Church sources, both scriptural and magisterial, he has assembled the outline of a theology of masculinity. Responding to Pope St. John Paul II's description of the "feminine genius," Dr. Lanzilotti considers the prospect of a complementary "masculine genius," and what it means for our boys. Chapters: 3:09 A man you'd want your daughter to marry 4:18 A man who wants to marry 7:40 Naturally ordered toward fatherhood 8:58 Building a culture of marriage 16:21 Stories about vocation, fidelity 18:22 Teaching vocation, fidelity 23:00 Theology and human sexuality 26:06 The human heart responds to goodness 31:01 The masculine genius 35:34 Scriptural, papal guidance on human love 37:51 Witnessing to the goodness of life Links: The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset Love and Responsibility by John Paul II Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body by John Paul II "The Jeweler's Shop" by John Paul II Redemptor Hominis, encyclical by Pope St. John Paul II, 1979 Familiaris Consortio, apostolic exhortation by Pope St. John Paul II, 1981 Deus Caritas Est, encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI, 2005 "Is There a Catholic Theology of Masculinity?" dissertation by Peter Holmes Also on the Forum: Made in the Image and Likeness: On Man and Masculinity featuring Bishop Erik Varden Worthy and Willing: Forming Boys Who Will Want to Marry by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti Educating Boys: Nature, Risk, and the Making of Men by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti The Magisterial Case for Single-Sex Education by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti The Forum Faculty Podcast hosted by Tom Cox Featured Opportunities: Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

How many of us wondered at some point in our lives: "Should I go to law school?" It's a common question as one approaches college graduation. Students find themselves on that "moving walkway" toward the future: it will go forward, but at which stop should they get off? How can they pick a path on purpose—and not due to momentum? Heights upper school teacher Mark Grannis spent decades practicing law, even co-founding his own DC firm. Knowing many lawyers, one-day lawyers, and would-have-been lawyers in every stage of professional development, he noticed some patterns of discernment that genuinely helped people decide whether the law vocation was for them. This spring, he released Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know, a guide that addresses law in particular and professional/vocational discernment in general. Mr. Grannis encourages people considering any career vocation to take stock of their academic and emotional talents, imagining where those can best be applied for the benefit of others. Chapters: 00:03:29 The genesis of the book 00:06:51 Grannis's professional background 00:11:54 What a lawyer really does 00:15:33 Seeing career in vocational terms 00:19:50 Three lawyer temperaments: past, present, and future 00:24:23 Bad reasons to go to law school 00:26:33 The one good reason 00:29:10 Three questions for vocational discernment 00:33:20 The infinite, imaginative possibilities of work 00:39:42 AI and the future of law 00:43:47 Choosing a law school—or not Links: Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know by Mark Grannis Logic Lectures, online lectures featuring Mark Grannis The Reasonable Person: Traditional Logic for Modern Life by Mark Grannis The Reasonable Person: Teacher Supplement by Mark Grannis The Three Key Questions featuring Fr. Michael Himes Also on the Forum: A Doctor, a Lawyer, and a Cop Walk Into a Boys School featuring Rob Liotta, Mark Grannis, and Josue Zelaya on the Forum Faculty Podcast Vocational Discernment in an Age of Infinite Options featuring Fr. Carter Griffin and Alvaro de Vicente Logic: On Forming the Reasonable Person featuring Mark Grannis Logic and the Reasonable Person by Mark Grannis Featured Opportunities: Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

This year's Heights Forum Art of Teaching Boys Conference brought together motivated educators from across the country (and beyond) to discuss a new vision for boys' education. The overwhelming follow-up questions: How can I craft and communicate a new vision back at my school? How does a school community grow united in its vision and sense of mission? This week on HeightsCast, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente offers his advice, first, for building a substantial and specific vision, and second, for translating that vision into action as a school community. In the notes below, you can find recordings of Open House speeches featuring our headmaster across the years. These are practical examples of how Mr. de Vicente presents the vision, mission, and approach of The Heights School to prospective parents. Chapters: 3:31 School vision: the who 8:08 Mission and curriculum: the what 11:29 Approach: the how 12:30 Sharing vision with the parent community 17:28 Vision architects: head of school, board, veteran faculty 20:45 When vision meets enrollment realities 25:05 Heads of school: pray, read, build friendships 31:47 Getting specific with your vision 35:53 Responding to national conversations in education Speeches on Vision by Alvaro de Vicente: Open House 2023 Open House 2022 Open House 2021 Open House 2019 Also on the Forum: The Man Fully Alive: On Our Vision, an extended lecture featuring Alvaro de Vicente Education and the Transmission of Culture by Nate Gadiano Featured Opportunities: Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)