A Letter From Cathedral’s Head of School
As you get to know our school, we hope you will grow to appreciate the exceptional qualities that make Cathedral School for Boys so unique. Over a decade ago, those same qualities drew me to the school and compelled me to send my two sons to this amazing institution.
Perhaps a quick account of our founding will help explain who we are and what we believe.
In the mid-1950s, a group of visionary families began to consider the need for a new independent school in San Francisco. What quickly emerged was the concept of an exceptional academic school for boys that was accessible to capable young men throughout the Bay Area. A few essential attributes quickly established a foothold within their deliberations.
First, they believed that academically excellent schools should not be limited to families occupying a certain geography, and they worked hard to attract academically capable boys who would benefit from the rigorous and robust education that the school offered.
Second, they recognized the imperative of character development. In their view, academic achievement alone was inadequate if students failed to apply what they learned to make the world a better place. In other words, for the founders of Cathedral School, the application of learning mattered as much as the learning itself.
Third, they recognized the value of a school that lived into the traditions of community, integrity, and service that represented, in their view, hallmarks of the nation’s finest Episcopal schools. The community’s values would help harmonize the community and chart each boy’s course.
From these principles emerged the school that so many of us believe in so fervently. Those same hallmarks persist to this day and are encapsulated so well in Cathedral School’s Mission.
“Cathedral School for Boys cultivates exemplary young men who are scholars and leaders of strong moral character. Our approach is guided by a commitment to intellectual inquiry and rigor and our Episcopal values of community, integrity, and service to others.”
All of this comes together, then, to create a school that is different by design. At a time when it is easy to exalt personal achievement over the common good, and when it is common to view independent schools as places of transaction rather than places of transformation, we aspire to something different and to something more.
Cathedral School for Boys remains committed to forming the type of scholars, leaders, and young men of character that we believe society both needs and deserves. We are all better, we believe, because of this effort.
Very truly yours,
Burns Jones
Head of School
About Burns Jones
Burns Jones has served as Cathedral’s Head of School since 2015. Before joining Cathedral, Mr. Jones was the Head of Canterbury School, an independent, preschool – grade 8 Episcopal day school in North Carolina.
Mr. Jones holds a B.A. in English from Sewanee, an M.A. in English from Middlebury, and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina. In 2014, Burns was awarded a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University’s School of Education. He serves as a member of the Board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, and St. Mary’s School (a girls’ high school in Raleigh, NC.) He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Elementary School Heads Association, and a member of the Visionary Heads Group.
Mr. Jones holds a B.A. in English from Sewanee, an M.A. in English from Middlebury, and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina. In 2014, Burns was awarded a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University’s School of Education. He serves as a member of the Board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, and St. Mary’s School (a girls’ high school in Raleigh, NC.) He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Elementary School Heads Association, and a member of the Visionary Heads Group.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two sons, Wyatt ’20 and Crawford ’24. In addition to his responsibilities as Head of School, Burns coaches soccer and runs the student law club at Cathedral.
(About the above photo: In celebration of Burns’ birthday, the Parents Association created a cookie — a smart cookie — in his likeness.)
(About the above photo: In celebration of Burns’ birthday, the Parents Association created a cookie — a smart cookie — in his likeness.)
List of 5 news stories.
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Heads Up Blog: Cell Phone Use in Schools
The topic of banning cell phones in schools has been very much in the news over the last few months, as many know. The research behind such movements underscores the belief that, at least for elementary and middle school students, phones are counterproductive to the learning process, at best, are detrimental to student emotional health, at worst. (For those who might be unclear, Cathedral School does not allow student phone use during the school day.)From recent conversations with parents, I know that this is a topic much on our mind as we navigate phone use with our children. At least in my experience, this is one of the tricker issues that parents face. Below are a few articles that help advance our thoughts.I look forward to hearing what you have to say. -
Heads Up Blog: Surgeon General Warns That Social Media May Harm Children and Adolescents
I find the phenomena of screen time and social media to present some of the more perplexing challenges facing parents and educators these days. In my estimation, and especially for elementary and middle school kids, the less screen time students have, the better off they are (although I recognize that this approach is much easier to articulate than to implement). Kids just don't have the experience and brain development to manage such powerful devices maturely and appropriately.One important approach for us all is to remain apprised of what experts are saying and recommending about the challenges of social media and screens. for these reasons, I thought I would pass along a recent article (click here) from The New York Times that encapsulates some pronouncements from the Surgeon General.Let’s keep the conversation going! -
Heads Up Blog: Civility Begins With Individual Choices
3 November 2020In light of today’s election, this article on voting, outcomes, and civility may be worth everyone’s time. Click here to read the Washington Post’s perspective piece, “Don’t be insufferable Nov. 7 no matter the outcome.” -
Heads Up Blog: Let Children Get Bored Again
This month, Headmaster Jones shares a New York Times link on the benefits of boredom. To read “Let Children Get Bored Again,’ click here. -
Heads Up Blog: Our Episcopal Identity
Headmaster Jones discusses Cathedral School’s Episcopal identity in a recent letter to our community.Read More
“From our position of strength, Cathedral School for Boys will prepare boys to live their lives with purpose, and to thrive within our ever-changing world.”
— Burns Jones, Head of School
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Cathedral School for Boys
Located in San Francisco, California, Cathedral School for Boys is an independent elementary school for boys in Kindergarten – Grade 8. Our mission is to provide an excellent education through intellectual inquiry and rigor that is centered in the Episcopal tradition and is respectful of and welcoming to people of all religious traditions and beliefs.
1275 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 • Phone: 415.771.6600 • Email: info@cathedralschool.net • Fax: 415.771.6601