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Christ School Speaker Series


Chris Singleton | Fall 2019

 

Singleton

Chris Singleton kept everyone in Chapel engrossed on Nov. 12, 2019 with his inspirational keynote speech.

Singleton is a former professional baseball player whose mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was one of nine victims of the Charleston (S.C.) mass shooting four years ago inside Emanuel A.M.E. Church.

Singleton travels the country speaking to schools, companies, and other groups. Tuesday's visit to Christ School was his 50th appearance of the year. Singleton's message to the Greenies was filled with talk of love, unity, acceptance, and faith. He received two standing ovations.

As a token of appreciation, Father Roberts presented Singleton with the same lapel pin that Christ School seniors get after their Senior Speeches.

The Godwin-Hauser Visting Writer Program

Celebrating the connections we make through literature

In addition to the Christ School Speaker Series, we host authors through the Godwin-Hauser Visiting Writer Program. The Godwin-Hauser Visiting Writer Program celebrates writing, reading, and the connections we make through literature. Past guests have included former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, New York Times Bestselling Author Wiley Cash, and New York Times Bestselling Author Ron Rash.

Read more about the Godwin-Hauser Visiting Writer Program

Previous Speaker Series Guests

Jon Sands | Spring 2020

Sands

National Poetry Series winner Jon Sands shared some of his finest work and insight into his creative process during a two-day visit to Christ School.

Sands, who is active in New York’s arts community, came to campus as part of the Godwin-Hauser Visiting Writer Program.

He has authored two well-reviewed collections of poetry, The New Clean and It’s Not Magic. Sands is also co-host of "The Poetry Gods" podcast and a curator for "SupaDupaFresh," a monthly poetry series at Brooklyn's Ode to Babel venue. His work has been featured in the New York Times and anthologized in The Best American Poetry. He has received residencies and fellowships from the Blue Mountain (N.Y.) Center, the Brooklyn Arts Council, the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, and the Jerome Foundation.

Sands gave a 40-minute reading Monday night in Pingree Auditorium, followed by a question-and-answer session. He was introduced by Max Redic ’20, and much to the delight of the all-school gathering, incorporated Durant Long ‘22 into the performance. The poems that Sands shared with the Greenies were largely comprised of his takes on adolescence.

“I can’t think of a time in my life that was more transformative (than high school),” Sands told the boys. “There are no four years where you transform more.”

Sands said he takes pride in his authenticity and putting his thoughts into words “unearths all the masks I wear.” Greenies had a chance to interact further with Sands on Tuesday as he sat in on four classes and held a poetry workshop with the staff of Christ School’s “Struan” literary magazine.

The Godwin-Hauser Visiting Writer Program was created in 2012 and has since brought some of the country’s best literary talent to Christ School. The program was made possible through an endowment seeded by Col. William Hauser ’50 and author Gail Godwin, who spent time on Christ School’s campus as she wrote a book about an all-boys boarding school.

J.D. Vance | Spring 2018

Vance

From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, a powerful account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class.

Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.

A deeply moving memoir with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.

J.D. Vance grew up in the Rust Belt city of Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian town of Jackson, Kentucky. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school and served in Iraq. A graduate of the Ohio State University and Yale Law School, he has contributed to the National Review and The New York Times and has appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC. Currently, J.D. works as a principal at a leading Silicon Valley investment firm. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two dogs, Casper and Pippin.

Ann Compton | Spring 2016

Ann ComptonAnn Compton joined ABC News in 1973. Only weeks after the Watergate scandal came to an end in 1974, Compton became the first woman assigned to cover the White House on a full-time basis by a network television news organization, and she was one of the youngest to receive the assignment. In addressing her retirement from ABC News after 41 years President Obama paid tribute to Compton saying, "Ann Compton, everybody here knows, is not only the consummate professional but is also just a pleasure to get to know."

David Gergen | Spring 2015

David GergenA trusted advisor to four presidents and to both political parties, David Gergen offers a bipartisan analysis of the Obama Administration, a divided Congress and what today’s headlines mean for the future of America. Author of Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of LeadershipNixon to Clinton and a book on presidential transitions, he offers an inside glimpse into the corridors of power and the leadership challenges presidents face.

Inky Johnson | Spring 2015

Inky JohnsonInky always dreamed of playing professional sports, but his future was dramatically altered when he suffered a life-threatening injury. Inky Johnson's story is about a life filled with faith and perseverance in the face of uncertainty and change. Inky has a master’s degree in sports psychology from the University of Tennessee and devotes much of his time to mentoring athletes and underprivileged youth. He lives with his family in Atlanta, Georgia.

Cheryl Johnson | Spring 2014

Cheryl JohnsonCheryl Johnson visited Christ School as a guest speaker for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week 2014. She was born in the Mississippi Delta when the Southern United States was still heavily practicing segregation. At 14, she was one of the first African Americans to enact the Supreme Court’s ruling on Brown vs. the Board of Education. This paved the way to desegregate South Panola High School. She graduated from South Panola High in 1969 and went on to attend Howard University and California State University.

In 2009 Ms. Johnson received her first invitation to a high school reunion, forty years after graduating. She looked for someone who could document her and her classmates' experiences as some of the first African Americans to have integrated with the previously all-white school. Ms. Johnson found Dr. Lee Anne Bell, the Director of Education at Barnard College. Dr. Bell accompanied Ms. Johnson to the reunion, where they filmed the documentary “40 Years Later: Now Can We Talk?

The film explores the impact of racial integration through dialogue with the alumni from Ms. Johnson's 1969 class. The graduates engaged in honest discourse about their memories of desegregation.

Dr. Chris Howard | Spring 2014

Dr. Chris HowardDr. Chris Howard visited Christ School as a guest speaker for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week 2014. He is the President of Hampden-Sydney College and one of the youngest college presidents in the United States. He is also Chairman of the Impact Young Lives Foundation and was previously Vice President for Strategic & Leadership Initiatives at the University of Oklahoma and a manager with General Electric’s elite Corporate Initiatives Group. A Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve, he holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School, and is a Rhodes Scholar.

Dr. Howard left students with sage advice for succeeding in college: “You have to be resilient, and have a sense of agency. You cannot outsource your education, you must own it.” He also explained that students perform best when they are intellectually curious, and “professors love students who love to learn.”

J. Tom Morgan | Fall 2013

J Tom MorganJ. Tom Morgan returned to Christ School in the fall of 2013 for his second guest speech. J. Tom is the former district attorney of DeKalb County, and now an attorney in private practice. He uses his knowledge of law to guide adolescents into safe use of social media and the internet. On this occasion he brought copies of his book, Ignorance Is No Defense: A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law, to Christ School with him. To date, J. Tom Morgan has spoken with thousands of adolescents and most major private schools throughout the Southeast, instructing teenagers on how to stay safe online.

Kirk Bloodsworth | Fall 2013

Kirk BloodsworthMr. Bloodsworth founded the Postconviction DNA Testing Program. With the introduction of the Innocence Protection Act of 2003, the Kirk Bloodsworth Postconviction DNA Testing Program was enacted, which also provided funding for testing under the act. Kirk Bloodsworth’s real story is about perseverance, forgiveness, and conversion, which he shared with students during his speech at St. Joseph’s Chapel. He taught the importance of educating oneself, self-advocacy, determination during struggle, and forgiveness.

Dr. Antonio Iavarone | Fall 2012

Dr Antonio IavaroneOn November 29, 2012, Dr. Antonio Iavarone, a nationally recognized specialist on brain tumors from the Department of Neurology and Institute for Cancer Genetics, visited Christ School to speak with our students. Dr. Iavarone's discoveries in cancer research center on the role of proteins and networks that drive phenotypic states in brain cells. His latest research shows that some cases of glioblastomas (the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer) are caused by the fusion of two adjacent genes. In subsequent lab studies, targeting this protein slowed the growth of glioblastoma in mice - positive news for cancer patients across the globe.

Beverly Purdue | Fall 2012

Beverly PurdueGovernor of North Carolina Beverly Perdue visited Christ School to discuss many national as well as state concerns, especially the paramount importance of education and advancement to college. Prompted by student questions, Governor Perdue addressed the significant issues of the national deficit and the polarization of political parties in America. Governor Perdue is North Carolina's first female governor, and she has a pronounced focus on building and transforming businesses and education across the state. Governor Perdue raised public school teacher salaries from 43rd to 21st in the nation, while also enforcing a tobacco-free policy in all 115 school systems. Her focus on reducing business costs in order to help create jobs earned North Carolina the No. 3 rank for "Best State for Business" by Forbes magazine, as well as the No. 1 rank for "Best Business Climate" by Site Selection magazine.

J. Tom Morgan | Fall 2013

J Tom MorganSince releasing his book, Ignorance Is No Defense: A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law, in November 2007, J.Tom Morgan has spoken with thousands of teenagers and parents in the Southeast. As the former district attorney of DeKalb County, and now an attorney in private practice, J.Tom has first-hand knowledge of law in the Southeast and how teenagers in a modern world must approach the internet and social media in regards to their safety.

Jean Kilbourne | Fall 2011

Jean KilbourneJean Kilbourne is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. A frequent guest on radio and television programs, including “The Today Show” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, she is the author of the award-winning book Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feeland So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids. The prize-winning films based on her lectures include Killing Us Softly, Spin the Bottle, and Slim Hopes.

Charlene Schiff | Fall 2011

Charlene SchiffCharlene Schiff, born December 16, 1929, was one of a handful of people who survived the German invasion of Horochow, Poland during the Holocaust. After becoming separated from her family, she spent two years of her childhood living in the forests near Horochow. For more than 20 years, through the Holocaust Museum, she told her story to children and adults at synagogues, churches, schools, clubs, and military and veterans organizations in the Washington area and elsewhere.

Louis Zamperini | Fall 2011

Louis ZamperiniLouis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who as an airman during World War II crashed into the Pacific, was listed as dead and then spent 47 days adrift in a life raft before being captured by the Japanese and enduring a harsh imprisonment. A native Californian, Zamperini was a record-breaking distance runner who competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin when World War II began. Lauren Hillenbrand's best-selling book Unbroken tells how Zamperini served in the Pacific during World War II and survived 25 months in Japanese POW camps before returning home in 1945.

H. Ross Perot | Spring 2011

H. Ross PerotH. Ross Perot is a businessman, soldier, entrepreneur, philanthropist, presidential candidate, and patriot. Mr. Perot spoke on his humble upbringing in Texarkana, Texas, his days at the U.S. Naval Academy, IBM, EDS, and on general topics such as leadership, his principles of success, and the importance of service to others. He shared his philosophy of hard work, honesty, integrity, square-dealing, and compassion and presented each student with his own copy of Mr. Perot's book My Life & The Principles for Success, which was written for his own son as he prepared to graduate from college.

Katie Koestner | Spring 2011

Katie KoestnerKatherine Koestner is a national expert on student safety and technology issues who has lectured at more than 1500 schools over the last 15 years. She has appeared on the cover of TIME, on Oprah, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, Larry King Live, and Entertainment Tonight.

Wes Moore | Fall 2010

Wes MooreWes Moore is a Rhodes Scholar and a combat veteran of Afghanistan. As a White House Fellow, he worked as a special assistant to Secretary Condoleezza Rice at the State Department. He was a featured speaker at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, one of Ebony magazine’s Top 30 Leaders Under 30 (2007), and most recently, was named one of the top young business leaders in New York by Crain’s New York Business.

Billy Packer | Spring 2010

Billy PackerBilly Packer is a recipient of the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year Award and a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality/Analyst. A legendary sportscaster, Packer was the lead analyst on the CBS sports tv team for more than 27 years and broadcast the Final Four for more than 34 years.

Paul Rusesabagina | Spring 2009

Paul RusesabaginaPaul Rusesabagina is the real life hero of the acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda. Rusesabagina saved the lives of more than 1200 people during the Rwandan genocide and has been honored internationally for his heroism. He authored An Ordinary Man and founded the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation which works to prevent future genocides and raise awareness of the need for a new truth and reconciliation process in Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region of Africa.

Marcus Luttrell | Spring 2008

Marcus Luttrell Marcus Luttrell, a decorated Navy SEAL, served in Baghdad and in Afghanistan. Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross for combat heroism in 2006 by President George W. Bush. His best-selling book Lone Survivor remembers the sacrifice his fallen comrades made during the single largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history: Operation Redwing in Afghanistan.