Connor Sheehan is an 8th and 9th grade science teacher and the Director of Athletics at Sparhawk Academy.  Our conversation ranges from his birth in Framingham, Massachusetts,  childhood in Lovell, Maine (with a couple of Stephen King sightings) through his college and post-graduate work at Boston University and Notre Dame’s ACE teaching fellowship.  We go on to discuss Sparhawk’s traditional athletics and adventure sports programs and how they dovetail with the school’s four pillars of education: intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual formation.

Sparhawk Academy is an independent day school for boys in Millis, Massachusetts that supports parents in the education and formation of virtuous, cultured, and competent men.

Sparhawk Academy:  https://sparhawkacademy.org

“A day in the Life of a Sparhawk Boy” https://youtu.be/Svf9oXWhGFA

“I Want to Grow Up to be a Competent Man”https://vimeo.com/1138649321?fl=pl&fe=sh

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

Gaby Golden is the Event Coordinator and a Receptionist at Sparhawk Academy and mother of four current Sparhawk students. Our conversation includes her origins in Quito, Ecuador where she attended Opus Dei schools, and how her higher education career led her to Boston where she met and married her husband Jim. We go on to discuss volunteering for the community at Sparhawk, and what it’s like being a parent supporting the pilot High School program.Sparhawk Academy is an independent day school for boys in Millis, Massachusetts that supports parents in the education and formation of virtuous, cultured, and competent men.

Sparhawk Academy:  https://sparhawkacademy.org“

A day in the Life of a Sparhawk Boy” https://youtu.be/Svf9oXWhGFA

“I Want to Grow Up to be a Competent Man” https://vimeo.com/1138649321?fl=pl&fe=sh

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

Sean Mahoney is a founding faculty member of Sparhawk Academy and teaches Ancient History, Literature, and Latin to the eight grade.  Mr.Mahoney is also Director of the Attic Greek Society at Sparhawk, where he instills an appreciation for that ancient language.  In this delightfully meandering conversation, we discuss the value of an out-of-doors childhood, the integration of work and rest as components of a full day, and how boys can be drawn into ancient literature to rediscover truths about the world.

Sparhawk Academy is an independent day school for boys in Millis, Massachusetts that supports parents in the education and formation of virtuous, cultured, and competent men.

Sparhawk Academy:  https://sparhawkacademy.org

“A day in the Life of a Sparhawk Boy” https://youtu.be/Svf9oXWhGFA

“I Want to Grow Up to be a Competent Man”https://vimeo.com/1138649321?fl=pl&fe=sh

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

Ben Houde - The Moral Imagination

Sparhawk Academy Parent Formation Series

March 12th, 2026

Ben Houde is the Director of Lower School and 5th grade homeroom teacher at Sparhawk Academy. In this talk, Mr. Houde explores a guiding principle of Sparhawk’s education: building and strengthening a healthy moral imagination. He highlights how classic literature and fairy tales inspire virtue by providing compelling models of courage, sacrifice, and heroism. Beyond the positive models offered in literature, boys need regular invitations to give of themselves and to take part in a grander mission, and they thrive when they undertake real-life adventures that test and strengthen their courage. This talk aims to provide parents with both a deeper understanding of the moral imagination as well as practical insights for nurturing its healthy formation in their sons.

Recommended reading:

Defending Boyhood by Anthony Esolen

Raising Boys by Design by Gregory Jantz and Michael Gurian

The Mysteries of Life in Children’s Literature by Mitchell Kalpakgian

Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian

Sparhawk Academy is an independent day school for boys in Millis, Massachusetts that supports parents in the education and formation of virtuous, cultured, and competent men.

Sparhawk Academy:  https://sparhawkacademy.org

Videos:

“A day in the Life of a Sparhawk Boy” https://youtu.be/Svf9oXWhGFA

“I Want to Grow Up to be a Competent Man” https://vimeo.com/1138649321?fl=pl&fe=sh

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

In this conversation, host Dan Taylor speaks with Father John Grieco, a priest of Opus Dei and the chaplain to Sparhawk Academy and MontroseSchool.  Father John is also the creator of the excellent weekly meditation podcast “Come Away By Yourselves” which provides spiritual reflectionson sacred scripture, church doctrine, and teachings of the saints. During the discussion Father Johnrecounts meeting Opus Dei while at the University of Dallas and his subsequent vocation to serve as a numerary and later a priest in the Work.  He also shares his thoughts on many other topics, including the hope he has in the future of the Church, the importance of the mass, and some benefits andrisks of artificial intelligence.

Listen to “Come Away By Yourselves:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/come-away-by-yourselves/id1503216953

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7rDYEntuVOzz0HrqJ1dKU5?si=49ac1cf9f2d4441f

Sparhawk Academy is an independent day school for boys grades 3 - 9 in Millis, MA https://sparhawkacademy.org

Video: A day in the Life of a Sparhawk Boy: https://youtu.be/Svf9oXWhGFA

Montrose School is an independent middle and high school for girls in Medfield, MA https://www.montroseschool.org

Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church: https://opusdei.org/en-us/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

In this conversation, host Dan Taylor speaks with Joe Billmeier, the director of the Opus Dei Chestnut Hill Center in Newton, Massachusetts. Joe is the author of an upcoming book, The Tenth Hour - Ten Transforming Encounters with Jesus in the Gospels by Scepter Publishers. Joe is also on the board of directors for Sparhawk Academy and is involved in the entrepreneurship program for the older grades. During the discussion Joe recounts his meeting Opus Dei wile a freshman at Notre Dame, reviews his various positions at different centers throughout the country, and describes the different levels of membership in the organization. Joe also reveals the genesis of his new book and describes how he finished writing it despite a recent cancer diagnosis and undergoing treatment.

Pre-order The Tenth Hour: The Tenth Hour pre-order: https://scepterpublishers.org/products/the-tenth-hour-ten-transforming-encounters-with-jesus-in-the-gospels?_pos=1&_sid=58f07e6a5&_ss=r

Sparhawk Academy is an independent day school for boys grades 3 - 9 in Millis, MA https://sparhawkacademy.org

Video: A day in the Life of a Sparhawk Boy: https://youtu.be/Svf9oXWhGFA

Opus Dei: https://opusdei.org/en-us/

Chestnut Hill Center: https://chestnuthillcenter.org

Scepter Publishing: https://scepterpublishers.org

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

Jim Golden was the first teacher hired at Sparhawk Academy and is also the property manager. We discuss his background and his early involvement in the school's beginnings, as well as many aspects of the school that appeal to discerning families of faith.Sparhawk Academy is an independent day school for boys grades 3 - 9 in Millis, MA https://sparhawkacademy.orgVideo: A day in the Life of a Sparhawk Boy: https://youtu.be/Svf9oXWhGFAThe Heights School is an independent day school for boys grades 3 - 12 in Potomac, MDhttps://www.heights.edu

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

Tim Casey was one of the founders of Sparhawk Academy, an independent day school for boys in grades 3-9 in Millis, Massachusetts, and is currently the chairman of the board of directors. We discuss the origins of the school, its mission to help parents raise men of character, Tim's work with Holy Cross Family Ministries, and the Christian life more generally.Sparhawk Academy: https://sparhawkacademy.orgHoly Cross Family Ministries: https://www.hcfm.org

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com

Tom Keefe is Director of the Middle School at Sparhawk Academy in Millis, MA. In this conversation host Dan Taylor explores Tom's early involvement in searching for the school campus location, his deep knowledge of Sparhawk lore, and some of his thoughts on the mission of the school.Sparhawk Academy, an independent day school for boys grades 3 – 9: https://sparhawkacademy.orgSinging hymns at mass: Musicae Sacrae (December 25, 1955): https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-x...Article: "When to Fight: Kyle Blackmer on Fisticuffs and the Peacemaking Protector" from The Heights Forum: https://heightsforum.org/podcast/when...The Heights School is an independent day school for boys grades 3 - 12 in Potomac, MDhttps://www.heights.edu

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit surgite.substack.com