As Hermine brewed south of Florida, winds of change circulated through the start of school while Head of School Mason Lecky settled in to his third month on the job.

Renovations to the iconic Chamberlayne Hall had just wrapped up. New chaplains Joe Torrence and Whitney Edwards led inspirational opening services. Third through fifth graders were pumped and primed for cafeteria fare in lieu of packed lunches from home. New hires filling newly created positions promised positive new directions for our close-knit community -- Shawn Moore as director of community and inclusion and associate admissions director, Janine Davila as director of summer programs and two school counselors to support all divisions of students, families, faculty and staff -- Sazshy Valentine for Middle and Upper School and Catherine Graves for Lower School.

In his faculty/staff address, Mr. Lecky referred to himself as the school’s “learner-in-chief.” Now in the process of meeting with each faculty and staff member, along with students, parents, alumni and board members, he plans to spend as much time as possible out of the office visiting classes and offices. He addressed the school’s efforts to increase diversity, discouraged use of electronic communication for any nuanced, emotional, or sensitive issue and leaned on the school’s affiliation with the Episcopal church and its inclusive, loving and compassionate ethos.

Feedback from faculty and staff was overwhelmingly positive. Ampersand Director Rusty Wilson echoed the sentiments of many saying, “I appreciated his directness and his clarity and his empathy. It made it very easy to understand what was happening and say ‘yes’ to follow that path.”

Prevailing all, the heart and soul of St. Christopher’s remain intact. “The foundation, the backbone and the overarching culture of the school is still very much a driving force,” said alum Jeb Britton ’99 who joins the Upper School math department this year. “There may be new faces in the ranks but the concern for the boys and their well being is the same.”