The Creation of a New Weekly Schedule
Shortly after the arrival of Head of School Dr. Sean Jenkins P'29 in 2021, the Board of Trustees decided the time was right for Christ School's next strategic plan. This path forward would enhance our mission to "produce educated men of good character, prepared for both scholastic achievement in college and productive citizenship in adult society." Current and former board members, faculty, and staff undertook a comprehensive review and analysis of Christ School, its peer schools, and the overall landscape in education. Planning took available data and best practices into account, drawing heavily from our foundational Four Pillars (Academic Rigor, Leadership, Spirituality, and the Dignity of Manual Labor).
Developing the Whole Boy emerged as one of the top imperatives of the strategic plan, which brings us to where we are today with a fully realized vision in 2025.
Christ School has a winning methodology for unlocking the potential in boys, proven over 125 years. It involves relational learning (inside and outside the classroom) with adults ensuring that each boy feels deeply known, appreciated, and inspired to become the best version of himself. Through the Four Pillars, boys are taught to lead balanced lives and maintain health in mind, body, and spirit. They leave here with not only lifelong friends and a superior education, but the life skills and emotional/social well-being needed to thrive.
With this in mind, we present a new weekly schedule for 2025-26 that leans into our strengths like never before.
The schedule was carefully developed over the past 18 months by a committee of representatives from every academic department, Athletics, Student Life, Spiritual Life, and our Wellness Team. The committee was chaired by Dean of Academics Emily Pulsifer P'15, P'17 and Associate Dean of Academics James Uhler. During the drafting process, the committee consulted parents, students, faculty, and administrators, reviewed the daily schedules of peer schools, and researched the latest wisdom on class length and optimum windows for learning.
Boy-Centric Design Process
Over 18 months, the committee acted thoroughly and thoughtfully to design a new weekly schedule that best develops the whole boy. Options were presented to faculty, staff, and students for their feedback. The result is a schedule with longer class periods and additional time for advisory, extra help, and clubs. We think it results in a healthier pace for students and faculty, fostering and furthering relationships between them. The new schedule also introduces a new Modern Life Skills program during the week and enhances our unique, longstanding job program.
2025-26 SCHOOL CALENDAR WITH A/B WEEKS IDENTIFIED
Key Adjustments
MODERN LIFE SKILLS PROGRAMMING: Every other week, a 50-minute Modern Life Skills programming period will give us a chance to combine wellness topics, college/career readiness, leadership training, and a larger, more involved job program into comprehensive development by form. The Modern Life Skills curriculum is being designed to meet students at appropriate developmental levels, and learning will build from one year to the next. The hands-on, active approach will allow students to practice the skills that they are learning in small group settings. The Modern Life Skills program will encourage students to understand themselves and their core values, prioritize physical and mental health, develop meaningful relationships, and hone leadership skills. The critical skills of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making will be emphasized.
OPTIMAL CLASS TIME: Classes will meet four days per week as they currently do, but every class will be 50 minutes; this will capture an additional 15 minutes for each class, every week.
REIMAGINING THE FOURTH PILLAR: The Dignity of Manual Labor is strengthened through an enhanced job program by advisory that allows for larger, more impactful campus-wide projects.
ADDED TIME FOR LUNCH AND ADVISORY LUNCH: Students asked for – and we were able to deliver – additional time for lunches throughout the week, including the popular Advisory Lunch period on Wednesdays.
EXTRA HELP MOVES TO THE AFTERNOON: Extra Help is a critical period for students to check in with teachers, catch up on assignments, or meet with study groups; based on student feedback, we’ve shifted Extra Help to later in the day when students (and faculty) may be more alert.
DEDICATED CLUB TIME: Clubs and service groups thrive at Christ School, and we look forward to having dedicated “club” time.
New Schedule, New Roles
Three experienced members of the Faculty and Staff will have new roles this year, reporting to Assistant Head of School Lisa Darling as they implement the Modern Life Skills Program:
Dr. Lisa Garner P'24, Dean of Student Wellness: Dr. Garner has created and will oversee Modern Life Skills in addition to continuing to lead our Student Counseling program.
Wyatt Long, Dean of Student Development: Mr. Long will be in charge of leadership development and the re-envisioned school pillar of the Dignity of Manual Labor which involves school-wide larger job projects by advisory. He will continue to teach English, serve as the Head of House in Gardner House, and coach lacrosse.
Wesley Shelmire, Dean of Residential Life: Mr. Shelmire's new duties as head of Christ School's six dorms will be supplemented by providing support for Modern Life Skills in addition to being the form leader for the 9th grade, Director of the Outdoor Program, and a dorm parent in Cuningham House.
The Four Pillars Today
Legendary Headmaster David Page Harris, affectionately known as "Mr. Dave," is credited with many innovations in his 42-year tenure at Christ School, including the genesis of the Four Pillars. His time as a boarding student at Kent (Conn.) inspired the practical application of Academic Rigor, Leadership, Spirituality, and the Dignity of Manual Labor that have evolved over time into what they are today:
Academic Rigor
Christ School presently offers 27 Advanced Placement classes, 33 Honors classes, and six
Advanced Studies classes (college-level courses not offered by AP), including four Math classes beyond Calculus. ... The school received the highest possible distinction on last year's AP Honor Roll – Platinum. ... At the conclusion of the 2025 Spring Semester, more than 200 boys made either the Head of School's High Honor Roll (Weighted grade-point average of 4.25 or higher with no grade below a B-minus) or Honor Roll (Weighted GPA of 3.5 or higher with no grade below a B-minus). ... Keeping with another imperative in the latest strategic plan, two Programs of Distinction have been introduced in the past five years – the Robert Morgan '36 Aviation Program and Global Studies Program.
Leadership
The decades-old tradition of "Tapping" lives on, with seniors who pass the torch of leadership to the next class each spring. Senior Leaders in the dorms and other vital areas of the school community are chosen because they represent Christ School ideals and are capable of instilling them in others. ... Along with our Senior Leaders, boys are given the opportunity to lead through the Honor Council and there is no better endorsement for the transformative quality of the school than the Senior Speech series. Every boy is encouraged in his final year to stand in front of the full student body and faculty and give a meaningful message, which is often an amalgamation of everything learned in his time here.
Spirituality
St. Joseph's Chapel is 118 years old and remains the emotional and symbolic heart of 
campus. Services are held three times a week, a longstanding element of the chapel program and sense of community, along with two assemblies. When the weather is right, services are sometimes moved to the Father Kirk Brown Outdoor Chapel, a serene, wooded venue which overlooks Christ School Lake. The Lessons and Carols candlelight service brings the same Christmas cheer and warmth to Christ School today as it has for 91 years. There are also special services tied to other dates on the Christian calendar, including the Easter season. Chaplain Peter Hartwig has served the school for four years and led trips to Greece each of the past two summers (to retrace the steps of Apostle Paul). Mr. Hartwig was formerly an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia and received his B.A. in Religious Studies & Classics in 2016. He then went on to receive master’s degrees from the University of Cambridge (Master of Philosophy) and Princeton Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity). ... Participation in the Choir is at record levels under the direction of Professor James Cassarino.
The Dignity of Manual Labor
No school pillar has evolved more over time than the Dignity of Manual Labor. Christ School was a working farm for much of the 1900s and there are alumni to this day who will recount shoveling coal into furnaces to warm school buildings. Morning job remains an essential part of every school day – with the boys policing themselves – and the new schedule will allow time for a “Big Job” that focuses on larger projects by advisory.
