The Lions are Roaring…. Again!
The Lions are Roaring…. Again!

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2023
Opening Words of Wisdom
Opening Words of Wisdom

Assuredly you have heard the idiom that one should not judge a book by its cover. That piece of practical wisdom is not something I wish to debunk but I might desire to add a layer of nuance to it: One should not judge a book by its cover but one might attempt to judge it by its opening words. This elongation of the old adage certainly causes it to lose its marketable brevity and bite but my hope is that what is lost in economy might be gained in wisdom…

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Justin Chiarot, Biblical Studies Dept. Chair2023
Remembering Polycarp
Remembering Polycarp

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2023
Contemplating Lent
Contemplating Lent

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2023
All Education is Self-Education
All Education is Self-Education

A phrase often repeated around Chapel Field is 19th century educator Charlotte Mason's famous observation that "all education is self-education."  This might sound like a strange thing for a school to affirm. If everything is self-taught, why go to school at all? Why seek out teachers if we don’t need them? Of course, a little time and attention reveals that that's not what Mason is suggesting. The profound truth at the heart of this quotation is this: anything a person learns they ultimately have to see for themselves…

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Dr. Nathan Gill, Academic Dean2023
Reflections on the Life and Ministry of My Father
Reflections on the Life and Ministry of My Father

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2023
Epiphany and the Dark Side of Christmas
Epiphany and the Dark Side of Christmas

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2023
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2022
Piety in Plymouth
Piety in Plymouth

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2022
Our Battle Song
Our Battle Song

If you’ve been around Chapel Field for any length of time, chances are you’ve heard snatches of something called the “Non Nobis.” You’ve probably heard it sung, too, because one of the distinctive things about a Chapel Field education is that Chapel Field students sing…

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Dr. Nathan Gill, Academic Dean2022
A Portrait of a Chapel Field Graduate
A Portrait of a Chapel Field Graduate

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2022
A Treasure Hunt
A Treasure Hunt

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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Bill Spanjer, Head of Schools2022