HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive

"Friendship is one of the most indispensable requirements of life," says Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics. But, adds Alasdair MacInytre, it's also "difficult and often enough impossible—especially under the conditions characteristic of contemporary modernity."

Today on HeightsCast, long-time colleagues (and friends!) Austin Hatch and Tom Steenson reflect on the nature of friendship, and why it was chosen as the theme for the 2026 Convivium Conference for Teaching Men, hosted by The Heights Forum this November.

What is the value of friendships among fellow faculty? What are the ingredients of that friendship? How should individual teachers seek it? How can school leaders foster it? And how might the students benefit?

Mr. Hatch and Mr. Steenson begin to scratch the surface of these questions in preparation for the deep-dive at this year's Convivium. If you'd like to join us, registrations, essays for the conference companion, and proposals for breakout sessions are now being accepted.

7:42 Aristotle and Cicero on friendship

12:46 Teaching: a shared life

16:09 Friendship: shared work, shared mission

20:31 Time constraints to friendship

24:50 Faculty friendship's effect on students

32:41 Maintaining culture as the school grows

38:34 Education: a raising of friends

44:24 Best practices for school leaders, individual teachers

De Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture Keynote: Is Friendship Possible? featuring Alasdair MacInytre

"Economy and Pleasure" in The Art of the Commonplace by Wendell Berry

Faculty of Friends: Making Schools into Communities featuring Tom Cox

Friendship for Fathers: John Cuddeback on Living and Teaching the Art featuring Dr. John Cuddeback

On Hiring Teachers: Drafting a Faculty of Friends featuring Alvaro de Vicente

In the charged "Achievement Culture" we live in today, both parent and student anxiety have skyrocketed. There are the usual culprits, from a changing economic landscape to social media and comparison culture.

But ultimately, Michael Moynihan believes our professional and academic anxieties come from a crisis of meaning for the term 'work.'

Drawing on his experience as a math teacher, head of the upper school at The Heights, and father of a large family, Mr. Moynihan suggests that we can reduce anxiety by understanding 'work' not as a means of self-optimization or self-advancement, but primarily self-gift. Sanctifying our work tempers both extremes of anxiety and avoidance.

5:43 A results-based system meets parental pressure

8:16 Modern crisis of meaning for work

12:03 Helping young people see beyond the immediate, material

14:46 Sanctifying work for anxious students

20:57 Sanctifying work for avoidant students

25:12 Meaningful chores: an antidote to disordered work

28:02 Mastery over grades

Answering Anxiety by Michael Moynihan

The Father and His Family: A Guidebook for Aspiring, New, and Experienced Fathers by Michael Moynihan

Decisive Parenting: Forming Authentic Freedom in Your Children by Michael Moynihan

The Talk and Beyond: Raising Children in a Confused Culture by Michael Moynihan

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Children Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

How to Not Be Anxious as a Parent by Alvaro de Vicente

Automaticity: Where 'Rote' Fits into the Liberal Arts featuring David Maxham

Automaticity and Creativity by David Maxham

Hopeful Parents, Hopeful Sons by Alvaro de Vicente

His Anxiety and Ours: Confessions of an Anxious Parent who Happens to Be a Therapist featuring Alex Berthé

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Leaders Initiative, a year-long mentoring partnership for school leaders

Natural History is a largely outdoor, discovery-based class for our lower school students, where they see the Valley as a textbook and the seasons as its chapters.

Eric Heil has taught Natural History to his third graders for decades now, and in this rebroadcast from 2021, he unpacks the class's lessons of close observation, pattern recognition, scientific inquiry, identification, wonder, and the foundations of philosophy—all among 8- to 11-year-olds.

3:10 Personal observation and discovery

5:35 The outdoors: an alternative textbook

9:55 Boys and nature journals

19:49 Intrinsic value in nature study

25:47 Junior philosophy: substance and accidents

31:50 "I see, I think of, I wonder"

36:23 Starting a nature study at your school

Webinar: How to Keep a Nature Journal featuring Eric Heil and Peter Vitz Fact or Opinion: On Preventing (or Unwinding) Moral Relativism by Michael Moynihan

The Laws Guide to Drawing Nature and Journaling by John Muir Laws Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock A Natural History of North American Trees by Donald Culross Peattie Nature's Events: A Notebook of the Unfolding Seasons by John Serrao

Teaching Sovereign Knowers, a series on science education by Michael MoynihanEducating Boys: Nature, Risk, and the Making of Men by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti On Nature Journals and Observant Souls featuring Eric Heil "Can I Catch It?": On Handling Wildlife featuring Eric Heil

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

Our headmaster often uses this paradigm for the ideal Heights graduate: he's the kind of young man you'd want your daughter to marry.

In a recent article for the Forum, Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti asked: in our current culture, how does a boy grow up to be the kind of man who desires that life?

Delving into Church sources, both scriptural and magisterial, he has assembled the outline of a theology of masculinity. Responding to Pope St. John Paul II's description of the "feminine genius," Dr. Lanzilotti considers the prospect of a complementary "masculine genius," and what it means for our boys.

3:09 A man you'd want your daughter to marry 4:18 A man who wants to marry 7:40 Naturally ordered toward fatherhood 8:58 Building a culture of marriage 16:21 Stories about vocation, fidelity 18:22 Teaching vocation, fidelity 23:00 Theology and human sexuality 26:06 The human heart responds to goodness 31:01 The masculine genius 35:34 Scriptural, papal guidance on human love 37:51 Witnessing to the goodness of life

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset Love and Responsibility by John Paul II Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body by John Paul II "The Jeweler's Shop" by John Paul II Redemptor Hominis, encyclical by Pope St. John Paul II, 1979 Familiaris Consortio, apostolic exhortation by Pope St. John Paul II, 1981 Deus Caritas Est, encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI, 2005 "Is There a Catholic Theology of Masculinity?" dissertation by Peter Holmes

Made in the Image and Likeness: On Man and Masculinity featuring Bishop Erik Varden

Worthy and Willing: Forming Boys Who Will Want to Marry by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti

Educating Boys: Nature, Risk, and the Making of Men by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti

The Magisterial Case for Single-Sex Education by Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti

The Forum Faculty Podcast hosted by Tom Cox

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

How many of us wondered at some point in our lives: "Should I go to law school?"

It's a common question as one approaches college graduation. Students find themselves on that "moving walkway" toward the future: it will go forward, but at which stop should they get off? How can they pick a path on purpose—and not due to momentum?

Heights upper school teacher Mark Grannis spent decades practicing law, even co-founding his own DC firm. Knowing many lawyers, one-day lawyers, and would-have-been lawyers in every stage of professional development, he noticed some patterns of discernment that genuinely helped people decide whether the law vocation was for them. This spring, he released Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know, a guide that addresses law in particular and professional/vocational discernment in general.

Mr. Grannis encourages people considering any career vocation to take stock of their academic and emotional talents, imagining where those can best be applied for the benefit of others.

00:03:29 The genesis of the book 00:06:51 Grannis's professional background 00:11:54 What a lawyer really does 00:15:33 Seeing career in vocational terms 00:19:50 Three lawyer temperaments: past, present, and future 00:24:23 Bad reasons to go to law school 00:26:33 The one good reason 00:29:10 Three questions for vocational discernment 00:33:20 The infinite, imaginative possibilities of work 00:39:42 AI and the future of law 00:43:47 Choosing a law school—or not

Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know by Mark Grannis

Logic Lectures, online lectures featuring Mark Grannis

The Reasonable Person: Traditional Logic for Modern Life by Mark Grannis

The Reasonable Person: Teacher Supplement by Mark Grannis

The Three Key Questions featuring Fr. Michael Himes

A Doctor, a Lawyer, and a Cop Walk Into a Boys School featuring Rob Liotta, Mark Grannis, and Josue Zelaya on the Forum Faculty Podcast

Vocational Discernment in an Age of Infinite Options featuring Fr. Carter Griffin and Alvaro de Vicente

Logic: On Forming the Reasonable Person featuring Mark Grannis

Logic and the Reasonable Person by Mark Grannis

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

This year's Heights Forum Art of Teaching Boys Conference brought together motivated educators from across the country (and beyond) to discuss a new vision for boys' education. The overwhelming follow-up questions: How can I craft and communicate a new vision back at my school? How does a school community grow united in its vision and sense of mission?

This week on HeightsCast, Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente offers his advice, first, for building a substantial and specific vision, and second, for translating that vision into action as a school community.

In the notes below, you can find recordings of Open House speeches featuring our headmaster across the years. These are practical examples of how Mr. de Vicente presents the vision, mission, and approach of The Heights School to prospective parents.

3:31 School vision: the who

8:08 Mission and curriculum: the what

11:29 Approach: the how

12:30 Sharing vision with the parent community

17:28 Vision architects: head of school, board, veteran faculty

20:45 When vision meets enrollment realities

25:05 Heads of school: pray, read, build friendships

31:47 Getting specific with your vision

35:53 Responding to national conversations in education

Open House 2023

Open House 2022

Open House 2021

Open House 2019

The Man Fully Alive: On Our Vision, an extended lecture featuring Alvaro de Vicente

Education and the Transmission of Culture by Nate Gadiano

Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 11-13, 2026)

"Something old, something new, something red white and blue."

The American Book of Fables is Dr. Matthew Mehan and artist John Folley's latest children's book—or, rather, family book—presented for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It offers a delightful education in civics, geography, history, and love of country by combining the American founding documents, short poetry, new and ancient fables, and whimsical oil paintings all mapped to the American landscape.

This week on HeightsCast, Dr. Mehan shares the ideas behind the book's creation and what he hopes "littles, middles, and bigs" can all come to appreciate through a layered work like this.

3:01 Picture books and the role of the poet

8:21 A family book for littles, middles, and bigs

13:18 What's in the book

18:19 Fables: training your "good mother wit"

23:46 Hugh Manatee and humanity

28:33 John Folley's illustrations

30:55 The American city

34:49 The current discourse on duty

36:47 Presenting founding documents to kids

41:37 Celebrate America250 as a family

48:26 Despair and hope

56:00 Book launch events

58:45 Excerpt: "American Morning"

The American Book of Fables by Matthew Mehan

The Handsome Little Cygnet by Matthew Mehan

Mr. Mehan's Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals by Matthew Mehan

National WWI Memorial, sculpture by Sabin Howard, installed 2024

Catholic Information Center Event with the Author, Washington, DC / livestream available – June 30, 2026

The American Book of Fables Website – Sophia Institute Press, for future book launch events

Patriotism and Piety: Honoring Founders and Fathers featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan

Teaching the American Founding after 250 Years featuring Dr. Matthew Spalding

Children's Literature and Human Flourishing: The Handsome Little Cygnet featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan

Why Our Politics Need Poetry: Mr. Mehan's Mythical Mammals featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan

Imagination: The Raw Material for Thinking featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan

As a top cybersecurity expert in the commercial sector, Mark Ryland has spent nearly a decade following the development of AI systems—their possibilities, their risks, and their limits. And he's found reason for measured optimism.

At this year's Heights Parents Conference on "AI and Our Sons: Optimism in Uncharted Waters," Mr. Ryland brought a moderating perspective to the podium, sharing his insights into how AI really operates and what kind of impact it may have on the job economy our children will inherit.

00:04:41 A recent history of AI 00:10:31 Intelligence: human, animal, and artificial 00:14:15 Brains vs. minds 00:16:55 Incredible possibilities through pattern recognition 00:21:21 AI's dependence, "model collapse" 00:24:49 Expected impact on economy sectors 00:32:47 AI limits: reinforcement learning 00:36:12 AI risks: safety, job loss 00:42:01 Thoughts on the home 00:44:01 Thoughts on the classroom 00:48:07 Catholic chatbots

The Mind & The Machine, podcast by Dr. Michael Augros on AI, science, and philosophy Coding after Coders: The End of Computer Programming as We Know It, NYT, March 12, 2026 Why It's Getting Harder to Measure AI Performance by Timothy B. Lee, Understanding AI Substack

Attention Is All You Need, seminal paper on generative AI by a Google Team, June 2017 How One Paper Changed Everything, concerning "Attention Is All You Need," Medium, October 10, 2025 Scientists Research Man Missing 90% of His Brain Who Leads a Normal Life, CBC Radio, July 14, 2016

The Walled Garden: Critical Considerations for Classroom AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti

A Humane Way of Life: The Research Behind Home Tech Decisions featuring Clare Morell

AI tech has come knocking at the classroom door, and schools across the country are rushing to design their AI policies around information that seems to change by the day.

At this year's Heights Parents Conference on "AI and Our Sons: Optimism in Uncharted Waters," writer and educator Andrew Cantarutti shared the research and critical analysis necessary for school communities to consider the claims of AI ed-tech. In the end, he says, the question will be how best to raise citizens rather than simply users.

00:03:25 Turkish proverb: the trees and the ax 00:04:09 The attention crisis 00:08:46 AI: a different kind of technology 00:14:08 Adolescence and brain architecture 00:15:03 AI knocks on the classroom door 00:17:34 Walled Garden vs. Marketplace Mirror schools 00:21:03 Building AI literacy 00:27:04 AI's personalized education 00:27:47 Benefits of the traditional classroom 00:31:34 Our role as parents 00:34:25 Turkish proverb, decoded

The Walled Garden, Andrew Cantarutti's Substack

Attention Span by Gloria Mark Empire of AI by Karen Hao Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt in Essay Writing, MIT Media Lab, June 10, 2025

Center for Humane Technology, co-founded by Tristan Harris, former Google employee

Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI featuring Andrew Cantarutti

A Humane Way of Life: The Research Behind Home Tech Decisions featuring Clare Morell

A rapid rollout of integrated AI into technology we use everyday brings with it new considerations for our tech policies at home. At this year's Heights Parents Conference on "AI and Our Sons: Optimism in Uncharted Waters," author and public policy researcher Clare Morell shared the latest news and research to inform our digital decisions at home.

She points out that, increasingly, the vision we as parents have for our children is in direct competition with the vision big tech has for them. But an active and optimistic posture can help us guide our families toward a more humane way of life.

00:04:18 The lay of the digital land 00:08:38 Neuroscience of screens 00:18:56 The myth of parental controls 00:23:22 AI enters the chat 00:32:40 Maturity required to operate 00:35:09 Forming our children: parents and tech companies in competition 00:37:48 Digital detox for your family 00:41:29 A humane way of life: F.E.A.S.T. 00:43:59 Educating children on the harms 00:46:32 Adopting smartphone alternatives 00:48:11 Screen rules and accountability at home 00:50:58 Trading screens for responsibility 00:53:06 Reclaiming human flourishing

The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones by Clare Morell

The Tech Exit Supplementary Resources by Clare Morell

Preserving Our Humanity, Clare Morell's Substack

Meta's 'Digital Companions' Will Talk Sex with Users—Even Children, WSJ, April 26, 2025

Meta's AI Rules Let Bots Hold 'Sensual' Chats with Children, Reuters, August 14, 2025

AI Tutors for Kids Gave Fentanyl Recipes and Dangerous Diet Advice, Forbes, May 12, 2025

Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt in Essay Writing, MIT Media Lab, June 10, 2025

Sexting with Gemini, The Atlantic, July 14, 2025

The Social Dilemma, ages 12+, docudrama explaining tech company motivations, 2020

The Tech Exit: How Smartphones Undermine Our Parenting—and How to Reverse Course featuring Clare Morell