HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive

Dr. Jason Baxter, Academic Dean at Wyoming Catholic College and author of  The Beginners Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy   offers his thoughts on how to introduce students to the Divine Comedy.  By forcing the Divine Comedy (and many other "Great Works") on our boys without the proper groundwork, we risk cheating them of a profound encounter.  But there is value, and this is an introduction worth m...

Today we feature an interview with Tom Longano, author of two recently published books:  The Blue Book of Stories  and  The Red Book of Stories . A Heights graduate and former lower school teacher, Tom offers his thoughts on children's literature, reading for boys, and the importance of not just reading books aloud, but actually  performing  them aloud as well.

Heights Middle School Head, Mr. Andy Reed, discusses the middle school years. Drawing on his years of experience working with middle school boys and their families, Mr. Reed offers practical advice on how parents can best help their sons grow during these crucial years of formation. While we have often heard it said that parents should "cut the cord" and "let him leave the nest," in this talk Mr....

Our lives have been altered in ways few of us thought possible before March 2020. As a school, we wouldn't presume to broadcast our opinions on matters of public policy or medical science. We can, however, at this point speak to the impact of closure and other preventative measures on our boys. No preventative comes without cost, and for a young man in the formative years of his life, these days h...

Heights Headmaster, Alvaro de Vicente, shares his thoughts on friendship. We are told that friendship is one of the highest goods of human existence. Yet, despite our purported ability to find "friends" at the click of a button, building an authentic friendship takes time and effort, especially for our boys. Hear Mr. de Vicente discuss ways that parents can coach, manage, and accompany their sons...

Middle School Head, Andy Reed, offers helpful, practical, guidance for parents seeking to finish the academic year well under these historically challenging days. Mr. Reed offers advice derived from countless conversations with Heights parents striving to form "men fully alive" during a time more insular than days gone by, and days to come.

As parents, one of our primary duties is to help our children discover that  gratitude is a path to lasting happiness .  But where is the trailhead and how do we go about getting our boys on the right track, especially in a busy age of myriad privileges that are now assumed to be entitlements?  In such an age, how can we foster a culture of appreciation and gratitude in our homes? 

Mr. de Vicente offers his advice to students during these Corona months. Establishing and executing an ordered plan of life is critical for students wishing to grow intellectually, physically, morally, and spiritually. In this interview, our headmaster shares his advice for young men seeking to win in all aspects during this era of distance learning.

Dads, how often do we try to strong arm our sons into success?  Is this the best way?  Even if your son achieves success, is it his win or is it yours?  Join Andy Reed for a discussion of fatherhood.  Learn more about what our Middle School Head refers to as the "bedrock principle" of fatherhood, the notion that you, as a father, have to accompany rather than manage your boy, and that he will draw...

This week on HeightsCast we feature a recording of our most recent Heights Lecture Series featuring Colin Gleason, who discusses the formation of conscience in the young boy. Though we focus, among other things, on the formation of the will at The Heights, the formation of a boy's moral compass–his conscience–is equally important. The forming of a child's conscience begins at a very early age. The...

Fr. Carter Griffin, Rector of the St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, DC, shares his thoughts on vocation. Where are vocations coming from? What are the characteristics of homes that are conducive to our sons hearing the Lord's call? How has his approach to formation changed with the arrival of young men raised in a digital age? Fr. Griffin discusses all of this and more in today's podcast.

Our headmaster, Alvaro de Vicente, offers a lecture on how to build a solid relationship of trust with your son. This relationship matters because it is the context within which you will form your boy's character.

Brad Soderberg, Assistant Coach for the UVA Men's Basketball Team, shares his thoughts on coaching and parenting character through athletics at a very high level.

Hear our Headmaster, Alvaro de Vicente, explain the mission and vision of The Heights.  For 50 years, we have partnered with parents to form "men fully alive" by tending to the intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual well-being of every boy.

Smart phones present unprecedented challenges to parents.  Consequently, we are encouraged to "wait until 8th."  Head of Heights Mentoring, Joe Cardenas, wonders whether we should hang in there just a little longer.     Have Smart Phones Destroyed a Generation,  Jean Twenge (TheAtlantic.com) https://www.theatlantic.com/ magazine/archive/2017/09/has- the-smartphone-destroyed-a- generation/534198/ "...

In this episode, Mr. Kyle Blackmer explores the virtue of order and how we, as parents partnering with teachers, can share it with our middle school boys. It is entirely possible for a young man of 13 to appreciate an ordered life and an ordered mind. It is also possible to teach a young man lacking order to embrace a new virtue. Listen in to learn how.

Are manners stodgy vestiges of a bygone aristocratic age? At The Heights, we'd offer a resounding "no." Manners matter, and as parents and teachers, these "rules of civility" offer a great opportunity for teaching our boys virtue. Listen in to hear more.

Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente offers advice to individuals interested in stepping to the front of the classroom. What sort of temperament best suits a teacher? What ought one to study in order to prepare? Listen in to learn more about what Heights Headmasters, from Bob Jackson to Alvaro de Vicente, have looked for in their faculty for 50 years.

Dr. Matt Mehan explores the relationship between practical and speculative wisdom in the liberal arts education. He explains that "an education in the liberal arts must give pride of place to practical wisdom, to navigating the realm of becoming, while resisting the temptation to focus on speculative or contemplative Wisdom, that final rest and joy of the heavenly realm of being."

Lower School Head, Colin Gleason, offers a Heights Lecture on integrity. He shares how honesty requires far more than merely telling the truth; our boys must learn to live the truth.

In today's episode of HeightsCast, Heights Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente discusses hiring, the attributes of the teachers he hires, and where he finds them. A faculty is a School's most valuable resource. It is mission-essential to get hiring right; our headmaster discusses his approach here.

Newly installed University of Dallas President, Dr. Thomas Hibbs, discusses the challenges facing higher education in the liberal arts. How should parents approach the college decision? What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of high school graduates today? Is college for everyone? Tune in to hear Dr. Hibbs discuss these questions.

Newly installed University of Dallas President, Dr. Thomas Hibbs, discusses the challenges facing higher education in the liberal arts.  These challenges are both financial and cultural, stemming not only from external threats, but arising also from a misunderstanding by universities themselves of the true nature of liberal studies.  Dr. Hibbs explores the ideas underlying the liberal arts educati...

In today's episode, Dr. Matt Mehan explores the virtue of patriotism. We forget that this is a virtue, especially in a digital age that unleashes and misdirects our lesser instincts. But gratitude is, in fact, due to our Founders and our Nation. How do we express this gratitude, and how, in light of that duty, do we handle the more difficult aspects of our nation's past?

In this episode, Mr. de Vicente: Discusses the three prerequisites for a healthy young-adult relationship: Good Intentions, Other-Centric Worldview, Self-Mastery. Discuses the three requisites for a healthy relationship: Rules, Communication, Accountability.