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News & Photos
Founder's Day Observed: John McDonogh and Living a Good Life
Businessman John McDonogh never saw the schools that his fortune made possible--McDonogh in Baltimore and public schools in New Orleans. He asked for only one thing in return for his bequest: that children place flowers on his grave once a year.
That's what took place on Friday, October 7 at Baltimore's McDonogh, when the school community celebrated Founder's Day. Students representing all the divisions placed pots of mums on John McDonogh's grave.
The solemn ceremony also included remembrance of 45 alumni and three retired faculty members who passed away during the year.
Music filled the crisp morning air with performances by the Lower School Chorus, Upper School Concert Choir, and Senior Singers. The trumpet section of the Upper School Concert Band also played Taps.
Headmaster Charlie Britton delivered the following remarks:
When the first 21 students walked up the hill where Shell Road now rests, to start their journey here in 1873, they did so because of the opportunity created by John McDonogh, who wanted, as many of us know, to start a school in Baltimore for poor students of good character.
Those 21 boys did not have much – the clothes on their back and little else. They stepped foot on this campus with little but the hope that they would be cared for, and that things would turn out alright.
One hundred thirty eight years later, all of us have aspirations that our lives will be fulfilled – that we will follow paths that will bring us contentment, happiness, and peace.
Like those 21 boys, we want things to “turn out alright” – we want life to work out and bring us success and joy and fulfillment. So someday, when our lives reach the end, and the bell sets to toll, in our hearts we can say that we lived “a good life.”
We know that living a good life is far more complex than it appears. We know that living a good life means following a road that isn’t always easy to discern.
Yet, John McDonogh, in his Rules for Living, points the way to a “good life” – his road map is simple. Work hard, care deeply about others, never surrender hope, and be utterly persistent.
This morning, we come together to recognize John McDonogh’s legacy, to honor and remember those members of our school community who have died, and to express our immense gratitude for the opportunities that this great school provides so that ultimately, we may live a life well-lived.
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Businessman John McDonogh never saw the schools that his fortune made possible--McDonogh in Baltimore and public schools in New Orleans. He asked for only one thing in return for his bequest: that children place flowers on his grave once a year.
That's what took place on Friday, October 7 at Baltimore's McDonogh, when the school community celebrated Founder's Day. Students representing all the divisions placed pots of mums on John McDonogh's grave.
The solemn ceremony also included remembrance of 45 alumni and three retired faculty members who passed away during the year.
Music filled the crisp morning air with performances by the Lower School Chorus, Upper School Concert Choir, and Senior Singers. The trumpet section of the Upper School Concert Band also played Taps.
Headmaster Charlie Britton delivered the following remarks:
When the first 21 students walked up the hill where Shell Road now rests, to start their journey here in 1873, they did so because of the opportunity created by John McDonogh, who wanted, as many of us know, to start a school in Baltimore for poor students of good character.
Those 21 boys did not have much – the clothes on their back and little else. They stepped foot on this campus with little but the hope that they would be cared for, and that things would turn out alright.
One hundred thirty eight years later, all of us have aspirations that our lives will be fulfilled – that we will follow paths that will bring us contentment, happiness, and peace.
Like those 21 boys, we want things to “turn out alright” – we want life to work out and bring us success and joy and fulfillment. So someday, when our lives reach the end, and the bell sets to toll, in our hearts we can say that we lived “a good life.”
We know that living a good life is far more complex than it appears. We know that living a good life means following a road that isn’t always easy to discern.
Yet, John McDonogh, in his Rules for Living, points the way to a “good life” – his road map is simple. Work hard, care deeply about others, never surrender hope, and be utterly persistent.
This morning, we come together to recognize John McDonogh’s legacy, to honor and remember those members of our school community who have died, and to express our immense gratitude for the opportunities that this great school provides so that ultimately, we may live a life well-lived.