Daniel Gibson

What if I got off to a bad start?

Daniel Gibson
August 14, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

Well, you’ve officially survived the first day of school. That counts for something—beginning a new school year is no small feat. There are lots of famous quotes about how taking the first step is always the hardest, or how every...

What are you doing here?

Daniel Gibson
August 13, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

Good morning, and welcome back to school. In a few minutes, you will head to class and begin the school year with the First Lesson. But before you go, I have a question—and I wonder if you’ve ever given it...

Summer break: Ask questions you don’t know the answers to…and bring them to school

Daniel Gibson
May 22, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

Read a book because you want to, not because you have to; be intentional about being with your friends; waste some time on something beautiful—and my final recommendation for summer is to ask some questions you don’t know the answers...

Summer break: Be with your friends

Daniel Gibson
May 20, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

My second suggestion for the summer is to spend time with your friends. Now, you may be thinking, “Well, duh, Mr. Gibson – of course that’s what we’ll do over the summer.” But I mean: Be intentional about it. George...

On finishing and failure

Daniel Gibson
May 16, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

In one of the best-known passages in the Bible, Paul writes to his protÃ©gÃ©, Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Now, it is easy to think of Paul writing this...

“The snail reached the ark”

Daniel Gibson
May 15, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

Do you ever feel like everyone else is making more progress than you? They find it easier to get things done, to reach the finish? Have you ever thought that Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare is a...

“Looking back can sometimes help you on”

Daniel Gibson
May 13, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

Yesterday we considered the art of finishing well and compared it to running all the way through the tape in a race. But the truth is, neither life nor school is a race—the goal is not simply to arrive at...

Unsung Heroes: The people standing next to you

Daniel Gibson
May 9, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

This week we’ve considered some of the unsung heroes of American history—the lesser-known, the unknown, and even the seemingly unheroic. But I imagine that at times all these characters seem quite removed from your own life. You probably don’t go...

Unsung heroes: Dr. Joseph Warren

Daniel Gibson
May 6, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

You probably know the names of Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere. But have you heard of Dr. Joseph Warren? Well, when it comes to important figures in the fight for American independence, few played a more critical—yet now...

Unsung heroes: Henry Knox

Daniel Gibson
May 5, 2025

Head of School, Morning Reflections

This week, under the direction of Mrs. Traini, you will perform our Spring Concert, the “Rhythm of the Republic,” singing some of the songs that shaped America. Throughout the year, I often profile for you some of the great people...

Veritas et Virtus