Chapel and the Development of Character

BY JAMES DARLING, DIRECTOR OF CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

It can be difficult to put your finger on a particular way in which we help develop character at HTS. So in a recent meeting, a group of teachers and administrators discussed the various elements within HTS that are shaping and building character in our students. After several more-obvious ideas were mentioned, there was a pause – then someone piped up, “Well, no other school has a Father Crowther!”

Heads enthusiastically nodded in agreement and smiles reverberated around the table. All were in complete agreement that one of the major founts of character development at HTS over the past 18 years has been Father Stephen Crowther.

But why is it that Father Crowther’s words and actions do so much for the character of the souls that walk our hallways? In his book The Road to Character, author David Brooks writes about the special place that people who have dedicated their life to the service of others occupy in our collective psyche. Brooks argues that people living a life in this manner are actually more “fully engaged…in the practical problems” of daily life. This can clearly be said of Father Crowther as he, through his life’s work, offers good counsel to whoever and whatever situation knocks on his door and lives a daily calling filled with the need for real respect and honest integrity. Through the power of our interaction with him, we are called to ask the same of ourselves, to live for a higher purpose – in effect, to create our own contract with all others who might look to us to lead.

And out of his model come some of the most inspiring moments of character development and education that a school could ever desire. In the past year alone, many HTS students and teachers were motivated to take their turn at the microphone during Chapel to give meaningful messages. Morning Chapel has been filled with teachers talking about what sacrifice means to them, or the power of memory, or the importance of making progress away from tragedy. Others spoke about the inspiration of spring, or the comfort of knowing you have a place where you belong. In many morning reflections, students were shown

the countless ways one can give back and were challenged to work together to grow a spirit of charity and acceptance. Alumni guest speakers asked students to “trust in yourself” and to “see yourself through the eyes of others.” Student speakers spoke eloquently about the power that comes from passion or the powerful story behind Pink Shirt Day. And always there was Father Crowther, leading the way with his uncanny ability to weave a moral thread of character into so many of his own life-inspired narratives.

And so it is through his presence in Chapel, in our classrooms and throughout our daily lives that Father Crowther, and the Chapel life he has inspired, is a beacon for moments that feed much character into the lives and minds of our entire community. We learn from him and gain insight into our own character and behaviour as a result of his modelling and his willingness to develop better human beings.