ST. BERNARD'S offers able young boys of diverse backgrounds an exceptionally thorough, rigorous, and enjoyable introduction to learning and community life. We wish to inspire boys to value hard work and fair play, to develop confidence, consideration for others, and a sense of citizenship, and to have fun while doing these things. The following premises underlie our work and give the school its character: It is important both to challenge boys and to show them great affection. Young boys enjoy many benefits from an elementary school designed just for them. A small school devoted to the crucial early years of learning and development gives full attention to its students in a nurturing community, a little world where they are known and valued. As a school for boys, it provides teachers who understand their needs—intellectual, emotional, physical—and help them take risks and grow with greater freedom and less inhibition. A regard for the beauty and power of English – in reading, writing, speaking, listening – and the confident manipulation of numbers, both delightful in themselves, are indispensable for future success. Learning how to learn is of great importance, and mastering a traditional body of knowledge is also fundamental. It is essential for boys to develop effective habits of study and a solid beginning knowledge of history, geography, foreign languages, mathematics, and science. Creativity and imagination also play a central role in much of what we teach. Athletics plays a large part in the lives of most boys. They enjoy vigorous exercise and healthy competition. They also respond readily to able coaching and learn important lessons about teamwork, leadership, hard yet fair play, and graceful winning and losing. Boys and teachers are encouraged to appreciate each other's individuality. Cooperation and loyalty to a group are essential, and they come more readily when a boy's identity is strong and when others accept it. We welcome and seek a diverse student body, faculty, and parent community. We encourage boys to value each other and to appreciate the cultures that all of us bring to school each day. A varied community makes our experiences with one another richer and helps prepare the boys for a future full of such diversity in later education and the world beyond. Families are the primary source of curiosity, habits of study, self-discipline, ethical standards, and good manners. Given the difficulty of inculcating these values, parents deserve our help in bringing out these qualities in the boys. A good heart is finally more valuable than a well-stocked, well-trained head. We seek to develop both.