HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive
Welcome to HeightsCast, the podcast of The Heights School. With over 200 episodes, HeightsCast discusses the education of young men fully alive in the liberal arts tradition. The program engages teachers and thought-leaders in the educational/cultural space to support our community of listeners: parents, teachers, and school leaders seeking to educate the young men in their care. Instead of downloads, HeightsCast's most important metric for success is the unknown number of thoughtful discussions it prompts in homes, faculty lunchrooms, and communities around the country and the world. Thank you for listening; thank you for continuing the conversation.
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Dave Maxham on Automaticity: Where ‘Rote’ Fits into the Liberal Arts
03/26/2026
Dave Maxham on Automaticity: Where ‘Rote’ Fits into the Liberal Arts
Could creativity and intellectual freedom actually depend on the rote? Following up on his recent article for the Forum, math teacher Dave Maxham dives into why fundamentals and drills are integral to creativity—not hindrances. Between the “drill and kill” and the “free inquiry” camps lies the golden mean: an understanding that mastery and even delight in the basics allows for real, nimble handling of creative problems. Chapters: 3:19 Defining automaticity, creativity 7:09 The automatic enables the creative 15:14 Returning to basics, overcoming boredom 19:14 Struggle and humility bear fruit 24:05 Mastery and the intrinsic payoff 27:24 Model delight in your subject 35:13 With low standards, high expectations 42:25 The goals of homework 47:58 Cover less material, emphasize process 55:45 Letting them work it out Links: by David Maxham by G. K. Chesterton (see chapter 4, “The Ethics of Elfland”) by Zach Groshnell by Jared Cooney Horvath Also on the Forum: featuring Andrew Cantarutti featuring Dave Maxham featuring Dave Maxham Featured Opportunities: Parents’ Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026) – link coming soon at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026)
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Andrew Reed on Parenting through the Middle School Doldrums
03/19/2026
Andrew Reed on Parenting through the Middle School Doldrums
featuring Andrew Reed by Alvaro de Vicente by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti featuring Dr. Stephen Smith Featured Opportunities: Parents’ Conference at The Heights School (April 25, 2026) – link coming soon at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon
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Andrew Cantarutti on Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI
03/12/2026
Andrew Cantarutti on Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI
Today, we have an increasing store of research to evaluate the claims of educational tech. Where does it assist or upend our goals as a school? Where does it support or bypass our students’ intellectual sovereignty? Can it be used constructively? This week on HeightsCast, writer and educator Andrew Cantarutti shares with us the research on digital tools, and especially AI, in K-12 education. In passionate detail, he also lays out how a school can cultivate the habits of attention by its curriculum, pedagogy, character, and even the physical school building. Chapters: 3:05 Cantarutti’s background 5:27 The lay of the digital land in education 8:38 Attention: a capacity that can grow—and shrink 12:35 A school’s mission and the habits of attention 20:08 School schedules, school spaces 23:35 Four cognitive skills for your lesson plans 34:14 The research on AI and education 38:47 Teachers’ AI use 43:26 Constructive ways to engage with AI 50:47 Whether you can teach critical thinking 53:26 Promises of AI vs. the goals of education 58:05 Rethinking the structure of class time Links: , Andrew Cantarutti’s Substack , Brookings Institute report, January 14, 2026 , MIT Media Lab, June 10, 2025 by Paul Kirschner, Carl Hendrick, and Jim Heal , The Atlantic, January 30, 2026 , The New York Times, July 27, 2025 Also on the Forum: by Mark Grannis featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan featuring Kevin Majeres featuring Cal Newport Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon
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Tom Steenson on the Teacher’s Voice
03/05/2026
Tom Steenson on the Teacher’s Voice
Volume, pitch, pace, tone, inflection: the human voice is our primary teaching instrument. The spoken word has not just a logos and an ethos but an embodied and personal quality—which comes with enormous advantages. This week, twenty-five-year Heights veteran Tom Steenson shares a valuable reflection on the human voice and how we use it in the classroom. He includes many practical examples of how to engage students, express expectations, correct without disruption, and love your students by using your voice with intention. Chapters: 3:11 The humanity of voice 5:14 The science of volume and pitch 6:56 Your reading and teaching voice 9:04 Speech as love, not punishment 10:46 Voice for humor and engagement 13:54 All the advantages of spoken word 16:25 A unique, live meeting of minds 20:26 Control without yelling 27:05 Enjoying your students 30:17 Song and poetry in the classroom 33:04 The value of the voice in-person Links: featuring Austin Hatch and Michael Moynihan Also on the Forum: featuring Tom Steenson by Joseph Bissex featuring Tom Steenson Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon
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Alvaro de Vicente on the Role of Parents in the Conspiracy for the Good
02/26/2026
Alvaro de Vicente on the Role of Parents in the Conspiracy for the Good
When we join a school community, it should be to join forces with teachers, administrators, and other families in the “conspiracy for the good” of our children. In this multi-engine partnership, how do parents best play their role as the stewards of their child’s whole-person formation? In this rebroadcast from 2022, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente covers the idea of wise, willing, and informed partnership with your children’s school; what it really means to the “primary educators”; how a school can be compatible with that philosophy; and the importance of parent friendships. Chapters: 2:56 Entering a school partnership wisely 6:50 Entering the partnership fully 11:57 Parents’ task: formation of the whole person 14:06 Ask what the teachers see 15:18 Match school culture with home culture 17:23 Your child’s friendships 20:44 Parent friendships 26:39 Parent-teacher collaboration 32:04 When to pick up the phone, and the “conspiracy for good” Also on the Forum: featuring Kyle Blackmer featuring Tom Royals featuring Alvaro de Vicente by Alvaro de Vicente by Michael Moynihan by Alvaro de Vicente
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Dr. Stephen Smith on Educating Leaders with Thomas More
02/19/2026
Dr. Stephen Smith on Educating Leaders with Thomas More
Does a talented person have a duty to serve others? What do leading citizens really need to live well, freely, impactfully—even greatly? How do we, parents and educators, order the educational goods? “When I think of Thomas More’s life, writings, and example, I think: here are the materials we need to answer those questions.” So says Dr. Stephen Smith, professor at Hillsdale College and co-director for the Center for Thomas More Studies. St. Thomas More not only provided a robust theory of education and duty in his writings, but also a praxis of that education by his heroic actions at the Tower of London in 1535. Dr. Smith joins us this week to discuss how More’s life and education can be a pattern for our one-day leading citizens. Chapters: 2:32 The living image of a great man 8:49 More’s philosophy of learning 12:50 Virtue in the first place 16:25 Love of good advice 18:48 Leading citizenship: skill and integrity 24:51 Pride as the enemy 29:32 On modern times: “Do not abandon the ship” 35:14 Mentorship: time and attention 46:39 Hope and humor 54:21 Thomas More as a father Links: , featuring video courses, teaching resources, and the written works of Thomas More by Stephen Smith, pre-order for June 2026 edited by Gerard Wegemer and Stephen Smith edited by Gerard Wegemer and Stephen Smith by Cicero by Gerard Wegemer by Thomas More by Gerard Wegemer by Thomas More by Erasmus Also on the Forum: by Nate Gadiano featuring Michael Moynihan and Austin Hatch by Dr. Matthew Mehan featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – sold out at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon
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Bill Dardis on Teaching Religion with Multiple Faiths in the Room
02/12/2026
Bill Dardis on Teaching Religion with Multiple Faiths in the Room
“Charity and clarity” are the lodestars when teaching middle school boys with various faith backgrounds—and who are developing faith dispositions of their own. Bill Dardis teaches middle school religion and eighth grade core at The Heights. In his sixteen years of experience, he’s navigated many tricky waters with the boys, with the ultimate goal to bring them into a deeper and more engaged relationship with faith. Chapters: 3:19 Inviting boys deeper into their faith 8:17 A religion teacher has to pray 9:16 Following student questions 11:27 Charity: respecting parents’ moral authority 12:32 Clarity: commitment to the truth 13:28 Avoiding relativism 17:17 Emphasizing essential questions 18:37 Persuasive common ground 25:21 Seeing the familiar as if for the first time 27:30 One, holy, catholic, and apostolic 31:45 When a student’s life situation conflicts with the Catechism 37:59 Loving the job Links: by G. K. Chesterton (seeing something familiar as if for the first time) , textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox , textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox Also on the Forum: by Alvaro de Vicente featuring Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti by Mark Grannis featuring Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (February 2026) at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)
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Arthur Brooks on Your Calling and How to Find It
02/05/2026
Arthur Brooks on Your Calling and How to Find It
The crisis of meaning among young people gets a lot of press; but a quieter crisis of calling afflicts every generation today. Dr. Arthur Brooks says the causes are the same: not knowing what our life is really and ultimately for. In his talk at The Heights Forum Convivium 2025, Dr. Brooks shares the facts about calling—where neuroscience, psychology, and theology all agree, and how he (finally) found his. He goes on to say that helping young people to discover the true Christian purpose of life and then one’s personal calling is the missionary work of teachers. Chapters: 00:04:12 Teaching: a missionary field 00:06:15 Crisis of meaning among the young 00:07:35 Crisis of calling among more than the young 00:14:23 Sanctifying ordinary work 00:18:42 The marshmallow experiment: not all it seems 00:24:40 High achievers with no calling 00:27:55 Three tests for goal setting 00:36:12 Four profiles for career trajectory 00:44:31 Success addiction: when love feels conditional 00:48:33 Arrival fallacy: when the goal doesn’t satisfy 00:51:34 Posture of submission to find your calling Links: , personal website by Arthur Brooks, pre-order for March 2026 by Arthur Brooks, The Atlantic Also on the Forum: featuring Alvaro de Vicente featuring Arthur Brooks Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)
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Kevin Twomey on Frantic Families: Three Questions for a More Intentional Life
01/23/2026
Kevin Twomey on Frantic Families: Three Questions for a More Intentional Life
Kevin Twomey is a husband, father, and a principal consultant at Table Group, founded by Patrick Lencioni, which specializes in helping executive teams build a healthy operational work culture. Lencioni’s book, The Three Big Questions, brings that same expertise to bear on the modern frantic family: helping parents find their family identity, create intentional priorities, and live with more order and purpose. Chapters: 4:01 Typical family operations 9:09 Frantic families in a frantic world 14:36 What makes your family unique? 21:57 Parent leadership 26:02 What is your family’s top priority right now? 32:30 “Priority” shouldn’t be plural 36:52 Long-standing objectives 38:46 Temporary rally cries 39:49 How do you deploy these answers intentionally? 45:22 Staying on track Links: by Patrick Lencioni , family worksheet PDF Also on the Forum: featuring Alvaro de Vicente by Alvaro de Vicente Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)
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Colin Gleason on the Father as Protector
01/15/2026
Colin Gleason on the Father as Protector
The first images of a “protector” that flash through our minds might be the warrior, the superhero, the movie star physically holding back evil from invading the world…. Our lower school head, Colin Gleason, casts a different vision: the benevolent king, the merciful brother, the knight at vigil in the sanctuary. Yes, our role as fathers is to protect—most often through a steady presence that communicates security to our children. When we do our job well, they can live with confidence. In his talk from the Fatherhood Conference last fall, Colin identified five battlegrounds for establishing this kind of security, most of which are in our own homes. Also on the Forum: featuring Michael Moynihan featuring Andrew Reed Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)
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Tom Cox on an Epic Education: Tolkien in the Middle School
01/08/2026
Tom Cox on an Epic Education: Tolkien in the Middle School
To prepare for Homer, Virgil, Beowulf, the Eddas, and Dante—The Heights begins with Tolkien. In a talk from 2016, former middle school core teacher and current upper school classics teacher Tom Cox defends the place of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings in the epic tradition. He then explains why Middle Earth is so uniquely suited to the middle school, using Samwise the Stouthearted as our guide to the heart of a middle school boy. Chapters: 2:46 Rethinking “the middle” 4:01 How LotR prepares boys for upper school 7:57 How LotR meets boys in middle school 12:47 Contrasted with other epics 14:41 Samwise as a middle school model 24:47 Tolkien’s lessons for teachers and parents 26:07 Samwise the Stouthearted: earning his epic epithet 31:18 “Bear one another’s burdens, fulfill the law of Christ” Links: by J. R. R. Tolkien by J. R. R. Tolkien by Homer, prose translation by A. S. Kline by Tom Cox , textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox , textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox Also on the Forum: hosted by Tom Cox by Tom Cox Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)
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Michael Moynihan on the Father as a Guide to the World
12/18/2025
Michael Moynihan on the Father as a Guide to the World
From utero and into infancy, babies recognize their mother as being essentially one with them. So, being placed in their father’s arms is in fact their first introduction to the “other,” the outside world. The father will continue this crucial role as mediator and representative to the outside world throughout a boy’s childhood. With decades of experience and dozens of personal anecdotes, Upper School Head Michael Moynihan addressed the 2025 Fatherhood Conference to share how a father’s parenting outlook now will shape his son’s vocational and professional readiness to enter the outside world as an adult. Chapters: 00:05:47 Mr. Moynihan’s background 00:08:17 Fathers represent the outside world 00:12:21 Model God’s loving fatherhood 00:17:02 Awaken the child’s own agency 00:24:52 Partner with your wife to build this home culture Links: by Michael Moynihan by Michael Moynihan by Michael Moynihan Also on the Forum: featuring Alvaro de Vicente
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Fr. Thomas Joseph White on Reading into Reality: What Is Intellectual Formation?
12/11/2025
Fr. Thomas Joseph White on Reading into Reality: What Is Intellectual Formation?
Our mission is to assist parents in the intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual formation of their sons… At The Heights, we repeat these words often, including a paraphrase at the beginning of every HeightsCast episode. But what constitutes intellectual formation? What does educating the intellect look like? Co-founder of the Hillbilly Thomists and Rector Magnificus at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome, Fr. Thomas Joseph White, joins us for a deep-dive into the rich Catholic understanding of intellectus, habitus, ratio, and what it means to “form” these God-given faculties. Chapters: 1:35 Intellectus: to read into reality 7:41 Modern challenges to intellectus 13:35 Habitus: a stable disposition towards excellence 17:59 Modern challenges to habitus 21:22 Ratio vs. intellectus 27:07 Intuitive “sight” as a function of intellect 32:27 Developing clear “sight” in the young 34:35 Forming the heart alongside intellect 38:47 Whether the heart and intellect fully integrate 44:01 Beauty reveals the life of the mind to itself Links: , co-founded by Fr. Thomas Joseph White by Fr. Thomas Joseph White by Fr. Thomas Joseph White by Fr. Thomas Joseph White by Pope Benedict XVI by Stratford Caldecott by Josef Pieper Also on the Forum: featuring Dr. Jason Baxter , essay series by Michael Moynihan by Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)
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Fr. Carter Griffin and Alvaro de Vicente on Vocational Discernment in an Age of Infinite Options
12/05/2025
Fr. Carter Griffin and Alvaro de Vicente on Vocational Discernment in an Age of Infinite Options
“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25). This week we’re joined by Fr. Carter Griffin, rector of the St. John Paul II Seminary in the Archdiocese of Washington, and Alvaro de Vicente, headmaster of The Heights School, to examine “discernment.” It’s become a Catholic buzzword, applied (or sometimes, perhaps, misapplied) to a number of life situations. Here, Fr. Carter and Alvaro discuss the methods and limits of vocational discernment—and the moral courage of commitment. Chapters: 3:45 Christian discernment 6:09 Misuses of the word “discernment” 9:39 Whether we can wrongly discern vocation 14:46 Choice paralysis 20:25 Submit to the process 25:48 Dating and marriage 29:55 Mentors and spiritual directors 33:21 Principles for discerning well 39:38 “Throw your life away”?! 46:17 The need for prayer 52:36 Crisis of vocations or crisis of faith? 59:59 Church choice and church-hopping Links: , 22 September 2025, WSJ for the Archdiocese of Washington for the Diocese of Arlington by Fr. Carter Griffin by Fr. Carter Griffin by Fr. Carter Griffin by Fr. Carter Griffin Also on the Forum: featuring Alvaro de Vicente featuring Fr. Carter Griffin Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)
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Colin Gleason on Manners: The “ABCs” of Virtue
11/20/2025
Colin Gleason on Manners: The “ABCs” of Virtue
by Robert Greving by Robert Greving Featured Opportunities: , donations for Jamaica hurricane relief at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)
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Dan Lively on Formation for the Body: Lifelong Functional Fitness
11/12/2025
Dan Lively on Formation for the Body: Lifelong Functional Fitness
In our school communities, we talk a great deal about moral and intellectual formation. But physical development, too, has an essential place in the whole-person, long-term vision of what our sons and students can become. Heights Athletic Director Dan Lively reminds us that the goals of athletic training don’t begin and end with high school sports. In fact, lifelong functional fitness is in service to every vocation. It ensures that we and our sons are capable of having a positive impact—on the world and in our families—for as many years as we’re on this earth. Chapters: 3:22 A long-term vision for your son’s physical development 10:41 The goal: robust longevity 14:34 Health: more than avoiding disease 21:05 Mark Baker on functional fitness 24:14 Fitness increases one’s potential for self-gift 25:58 Role of the school 31:51 Role of the family 40:09 Parents can play too 45:39 The thrill of middle school gains 47:32 Embrace your inner gym bro 52:01 The reluctant athlete Links: , Mark Baker eBooks Also on the Forum: on the Forum Faculty Podcast featuring Dan Lively featuring college coach Brad Soderberg Featured Opportunities: , donations for Jamaica hurricane relief at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)
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Dr. Jason Baxter on Why Beauty Matters: The Postmodern Pressure on Our Interior Life
11/06/2025
Dr. Jason Baxter on Why Beauty Matters: The Postmodern Pressure on Our Interior Life
One philosopher of our time claims that “today, the experience of beauty is impossible.” Dr. Jason Baxter, director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College, begs to differ. Dr. Baxter joins us on HeightsCast to unpack his latest book, Why Literature Still Matters, which looks at why such a claim might feel true in our digital age. Then, he talks us through why and how we should reclaim our experiences of beauty for the health of our soul. Chapters: 00:03:34 The experience of beauty 00:08:44 Byung-Chul Han: the possibility of beauty today 00:15:41 Marc Auge: still living in the Enlightenment experiment 00:20:46 The soul is not a machine 00:24:57 Our task as parents, educators 00:35:05 Likes and emojis: the simplification of our interior life 00:49:23 A near-death experience in Sardinia 00:56:24 Beauty and mental health 00:57:40 Franny and Zooey: interiority matters 01:03:41 Recommended reading Links: by Jason Baxter by Jason Baxter , Substack for Jason Baxter featuring articles and lectures by Byung-Chul Han by Marc Auge by Caspar David Friedrich by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan by W. B. Yeats Recommended reading: from Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot by J. D. Salinger by Anthony Hecht by Richard Wilbur by Walker Percy by George Eliot by Thomas Hardy by Kazuo Ishiguro Also on the Forum: featuring Dr. Jason Baxter featuring Dr. George Harne featuring Dr. Lionel Yaceczko Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)
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Tom Cox on Being a Faculty of Friends: Making Schools into Communities
10/30/2025
Tom Cox on Being a Faculty of Friends: Making Schools into Communities
The joy of “being known here” is not just for the students. When a faculty cultivates friendship, it benefits the entire school community. Tom Cox has been a middle and upper school Latin and Greek teacher at The Heights since 2009. Tom also hosts The Forum Faculty Podcast, now in its second year, which gives a slice of teacher breakroom culture: the kinds of conversations, rapport, and friendship that are born of our shared work and life as teachers. Tom joins us today to talk about how important faculty friendship is to making a school into a community, and what schools can do to support the planned and unplanned interactions that feed friendship. Chapters: 1:53 Tom Cox’s history at The Heights 6:35 School as a community of friends 10:15 Using school trips for faculty bonding 14:58 Regional schools: community or society 17:01 Creating community over large distances 26:53 Building up faculty friendship 36:04 Friendship requires shared life, work 38:57 Facilitating that shared life 47:09 Planned and unplanned interactions 50:49 Real communities pass on a culture 57:26 The fruit of staying in one place Links: from Gregory the Great Academy in Elmhurst Township, Pennsylvania by Tom Cox by C. S. Lewis by Jacques Maritain by Wendell Berry by John Cuddeback by Shirley Jackson by Wendell Berry Also on the Forum: hosted by Tom Cox featuring Alvaro de Vicente featuring John Cuddeback featuring David Maxham Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (November 1, 2025) at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)
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Dr. Melissa Moschella on Parental Rights in Natural and Constitutional Law
10/23/2025
Dr. Melissa Moschella on Parental Rights in Natural and Constitutional Law
What are parental rights? Are they a legal stance—or a philosophical one? In today’s conversation, Dr. Melissa Moschella of the University of Notre Dame discusses the profound and practical implications of the parent-child relationship. She then explores how those conclusions operate in the American legal tradition, tracing from natural law to John Locke to historic court cases and the public discourse today. Chapters: 3:46 True rights imply true duties 10:04 Natural law: knowable through reason 15:00 The rights and duties of parents 22:32 Role of the state in the American tradition 28:44 Twentieth-century shift, John Rawls 37:29 Whether schools can be value-neutral 43:34 Parental rights in American courts 46:47 Beyond religious liberty 55:00 School choice as parental choice 1:00:57 Public discourse: how to talk to friends, family, neighbors 1:05:30 Her book on natural law Links: , McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame by Melissa Moschella by Melissa Moschella by Amy Guttman (argued against by Dr. Moschella) by Melissa Moschella WSJ op-ed by Melissa Moschella Also on the Forum: featuring Dr. Matthew Tapie and Dr. Lionel Yaceczko by Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (November 1, 2025) at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)
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Michael Moynihan on A Whole Education: Teaching Persons, Not Just Subjects
10/16/2025
Michael Moynihan on A Whole Education: Teaching Persons, Not Just Subjects
There should be no contradiction in pursuing hard sciences, humanities, and moral virtue all in one day. For upper schoolers switching classrooms every hour, or for teachers siloed in a single subject, it can be easy to mistake “education” for a series of distinct academic categories. In this rebroadcast from 2015, Upper School Head Michael Moynihan gives us a better framework. He urges us to look at how our school’s different departments present a unified and infinitively connective worldview—one that invites inquisitive engagement and exercises the full scope of human reason. Chapters: 4:39 The strength of “entertainment culture” 8:16 Successful families 9:28 Assessing the educational landscape 11:32 Fragmented school subjects 14:20 Teaching persons, not subjects 17:18 Appreciating the full scope of human reason Links: by G. K. Chesterton (see chapter 8, “The Romance of Orthodoxy”) by Pope St. John Paul II by Dorothy Sayers by St. John Henry Newman by Pope Benedict XVI by Pope Francis Also on the Forum: by Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (October 18, 2025) at The Heights School (November 1, 2025) at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Alvaro de Vicente on Parental Expectations: Being Both Perfect and Anxious for Nothing
10/09/2025
Alvaro de Vicente on Parental Expectations: Being Both Perfect and Anxious for Nothing
, Alvaro de Vicente’s Substack by Walker Percy by Marilynne Robinson (2002) by G. K. Chesterton by Leif Enger Also on the Forum: by Alvaro de Vicente by Alvaro de Vicente Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (October 18, 2025) at The Heights School (November 1, 2025) at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Alvaro de Vicente on Conversation: The Medium of Mentoring
10/03/2025
Alvaro de Vicente on Conversation: The Medium of Mentoring
The art of mentoring is not just for teachers and coaches, but also parents—who can never really be out of mentoring mode. In a recent Substack article, Alvaro de Vicente named five pitfalls for our attempts at mentoring young men. This week, he talks us through some of the takeaways, reminding us that mentoring is not a profound lecture but an ongoing conversation, and the goal is not to modify but to form. Chapters: 3:49 What mentoring is 4:35 Conversation as the basis 8:55 Parents: always in mentor mode 10:13 Presence over “meaningful content” 16:01 Weighty conversations 18:25 Daily conversations 21:24 Love unlocks a child 30:48 Urgent conversations 33:34 When to mandate 35:36 When to end the conversation 37:33 Formation is a game of inches Links: , Alvaro de Vicente’s Substack by Alvaro de Vicente by Leif Enger by Josef Pieper Also on the Forum: by Alvaro de Vicente featuring Colin Gleason featuring Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti featuring Joe Cardenas Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (October 18, 2025) at The Heights School (October 4, 2025) Fathers’ Conference at The Heights School (November 1, 2025) link coming soon at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Kyle Blackmer on Building Parent-Teacher Rapport
09/25/2025
Kyle Blackmer on Building Parent-Teacher Rapport
In the broader society, mistrust increasingly defines the parent-teacher relationship. But it doesn’t have to be this way. As a Heights parent and seventh grade core teacher, Kyle Blackmer shares a practical vision for sound parent-teacher relationships. It begins with understanding parents and teachers in their true, cooperative roles for a child’s good. And it ends with developing real friendship between parents and teachers as they pursue this good together. Chapters: 1:29 Decline of the parent-teacher relationship 4:51 Parents’ true role as primary educators 10:18 How teachers relate to parents 13:40 How parents relate to teachers 18:28 Shared understanding of the goal 20:52 School as a community 26:39 Building parent-teacher relationships Links: by Daniel Buck Also on the Forum: by Michael Moynihan by Kyle Blackmer featuring Alvaro de Vicente featuring Lionel Yaceczko by Joseph Bissex by Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (October 4, 2025) Fathers’ Conference at The Heights School (November 1, 2025) link coming soon at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Fr. John Nepil on Theology at Elevation
09/18/2025
Fr. John Nepil on Theology at Elevation
“One of the best places to cultivate a Catholic worldview in the hearts and minds of young people … is in the backcountry,” writes Fr. John Nepil in his recent release, To Heights and unto Depths. Fr. Nepil, who has led dozens of group treks through the mountains of Colorado and said Mass atop every fourteener in the state, joins us to talk about adventure and a young man’s theological education. The backcountry, he says, is rich in lessons of creation, dependence, suffering, and beauty—restoring our sense of being created and loved by a self-giving God. Chapters: 5:18 What draws us to the mountains 9:04 “Nature” vs. “creation” 13:16 Fatherhood 16:00 Dependence 20:44 Cultivating a worldview 25:54 Guiding the conversation (or not) 28:13 Redemptive suffering 31:23 Starting with beauty 38:59 Physical vs. metaphysical limits 46:46 Men doing hard things together 48:29 The backstory of the book 50:39 A habit of reading Links: by Fr. John Nepil by Edward “Ted” Sri by Joseph Ratzinger by Gerard Manley Hopkins by G. K. Chesterton Also on the Forum: by Elias Naegele by Joe Breslin by Eric Heil Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Andrew Reed on Developing Your Son’s Will
09/11/2025
Andrew Reed on Developing Your Son’s Will
How many times a day do I tell my son what to do next? In this rebroadcast from 2015, our Head of Middle School Andrew Reed offers his ideas on cultivating an environment at home (and in the classroom) where boys can develop their own academic will. This entails not only greater freedom but also—just as necessary—a close and reliable family bond. Mr. Reed explains how this counterintuitive pair works together to teach a boy to choose the good for himself. Chapters: 6:32 The will: a marker for success 9:02 Overmanaging: telling them what to do 10:54 Boys grow from experience and challenge 12:33 The indifferent boy 14:43 Prompt the will with a question 17:31 Create an environment of freedom 20:16 But keep a close family bond 22:33 Manage the influences 24:21 A parenting examination of conscience 27:10 Patience and optimism 29:00 The will, freedom, and good academic habits Links: by Andrew Reed , a TED Talk by Angela Lee Duckworth, May 2013 () Also on the Forum: by Andrew Reed Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Michael Moynihan and Austin Hatch on Teaching the History of our Strange New World
09/04/2025
Michael Moynihan and Austin Hatch on Teaching the History of our Strange New World
To help our seniors synthesize the many ideas, events, and texts they’ve surveyed across high school—and to help them better understand their own cultural moment—Heights teachers have developed a senior core class titled “History of Western Thought.” In this episode, Upper School Head Michael Moynihan and long-time teacher Austin Hatch discuss the course and its guide-text: Carl Trueman’s Strange New World (2022). HOWT covers essential texts from Plato’s Republic to Pope Benedict XVI’s “Regensburg Address.”. Its goal is not only to prepare students for college work but to prepare them to meaningfully engage with the culture they will inherit, understanding its origins and its underlying assumptions. Chapters: 00:02:31 History of Western Thought course 00:08:10 The “HOWT” syllabus 00:11:31 Strange New World, a primary source guide 00:14:13 Teens and the intellectual tradition 00:16:39 Seeing ideologies in motion 00:18:48 Pairing philosophical threads 00:27:26 Understanding our cultural moment 00:29:25 Pushing back on ‘authenticity’ 00:33:31 How students respond to the course 00:35:09 Thinking about friendship 00:41:04 Big ideas in a short class 00:44:32 Reading Trueman alongside your son Links: by Carl Trueman by Elaina Plott Calabro, The Atlantic, September 2025 Texts from the HOWT course: by Carl Trueman by Plato by Plato by Aristotle by Cicero by Plutarch by Augustine by St. Thomas Aquinas by Thomas More by Jean Jacques Rousseau by René Descartes by Mary Shelley by St. John Henry Newman by Pope Benedict XVI Also on the Forum: featuring Dr. Benjamin Storey featuring Lionel Yaceczko by Michael Moynihan Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Dr. Matthew Mehan on Imagination: The Raw Material for Thinking
08/21/2025
Dr. Matthew Mehan on Imagination: The Raw Material for Thinking
Properly understood, the imagination is not something you escape to; it’s something you draw upon every day to make decisions, understand events, and communicate. This week on HeightsCast, Dr. Matthew Mehan explores the purposes of the imagination and the habits of wit and wisdom that help us insightfully process our world. We may think of the imagination at odds with reality. But, he says, cultivating the imagination actually makes us more capable, “wittier” thinkers about reality. Chapters: 00:03:05 Defining the imagination 00:05:31 “Good mother wit” 00:08:25 How LLMs undermine the wit 00:11:05 Beyond the “moral imagination” 00:15:33 Imagination of the Founding Fathers 00:20:03 Aesop and governing your animal spirits 00:24:28 The mistakes of Naturalism 00:27:57 18th century ABCs 00:32:13 Role models for the civic imagination 00:40:38 Who chooses what goes in 00:43:26 Reality educates us 00:46:39 Recommendations for parents 00:52:24 Metaphor control: guarding your hope 01:02:33 Humor and joy Links: , Matthew Mehan’s website by Matthew Mehan by Matthew Mehan by Matthew Mehan by Tom Cox by Aesop, with an introduction by G. K. Chesterton by James Cook by The Merry Beggars by Tom Longano Also on the Forum: by Matthew Mehan by Alvaro de Vicente featuring Alvaro de Vicente by Kyle Blackmer Featured opportunities: at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Colin Gleason on Discipline: Giving Room for Good Things
08/07/2025
Colin Gleason on Discipline: Giving Room for Good Things
by Terrence O. Moore by Harper Lee by G. K. Chesterton Also on the Forum: by Alvaro de Vicente featuring Colin Gleason by Andrew Reed Featured Opportunities: at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Chris Vander Woude on Ordinary and Heroic Virtue
07/24/2025
Chris Vander Woude on Ordinary and Heroic Virtue
In 2008, Tom Vander Woude died saving the life of his youngest son. But this radical self-gift was really the culmination of a quiet life of daily virtue with a heart of faith. Chris Vander Woude, the fifth of Tom and Mary Ellen’s seven sons, now carries the story of his father’s life and death across the country, as well as sharing the process towards canonization that began this year with the assignment of a postulator in Rome. Chris joins us today to speak about fatherhood and the extraordinary man who exemplified it for him. Chris invites you to reach out to him at or . Chapters: 00:04:50 The life of Tom Vander Woude 00:07:34 His sacrificial death 00:17:17 His character 00:23:23 Physical strength: one’s readiness for action 00:28:52 Faith: one’s trust and mission 00:39:18 Fatherhood and Down syndrome 00:50:52 Father of seven sons: tandem work 01:00:10 Tom’s discipline: priorities and good humor 01:04:39 Hosting and friend culture 01:07:44 Tom as a husband 01:13:03 Balancing family and community 01:17:22 Towards canonization 01:28:44 “Man fully alive” Links: , website , video interviews with the Vander Woude family by Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, featuring Tom Vander Woude’s story , National Catholic Register, 3 July 2025 Also on the Forum: featuring Fr. Carter Griffin by Mark Grannis Featured opportunities: at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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Alvaro de Vicente on Enjoying Our Children and Why It’s Important
07/10/2025
Alvaro de Vicente on Enjoying Our Children and Why It’s Important
They know we love them; but do our children sense that we like them? And how does that relate to their formation? In the intense season of togetherness that is summer break, headmaster Alvaro de Vicente recommends four practices to help us live more in the present and enjoy our children—even when the anxieties of life come knocking. Chapters: 00:02:17 Distinction between loving and liking 00:06:49 Four tools for cultivating “like”: 00:08:02 1. Express triple-gratitude 00:10:45 2. Spend unnecessary time 00:15:25 3. Find the humor 00:17:15 4. Pray for the grace 00:18:38 Why liking them matters 00:22:59 Living in the present: an antidote to anxiety 00:29:12 The “four tools” for teachers 00:35:42 Whether humor belongs in bad situations 00:41:14 Don’t take the bad too personally 00:46:03 Emotional stabilizers: marriage, friendship, prayer Links: by Fr. Jean C. J. D’Elbée by Leif Enger by Douglas Brunt Also on the Forum: featuring Alvaro de Vicente featuring Tom Royals Featured opportunities: at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
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