Collected Thoughts of a Priest Headmaster

D. Stuart Dunnan

About the Author 

Appointed Headmaster of Saint James School in June of 1992 when he was only 33 years old, the Revd. Dr. D. Stuart Dunnan has presided over a remarkable revival of this historic Episcopal boarding school in Western Maryland. A teacher and chaplain at both the school and university levels before he came to Saint James, he is one of the few Episcopal priests still serving as the head of a secondary school in the United States. He is also one of a decreasing number of independent school heads to serve the same school for more than five years, in his case, ten and counting.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Father Dunnan holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in history from Harvard University and a masters and a doctoral degree in theology from Oxford University in England. As an educator and preacher, he is particularly interested in the moral and spiritual formation of teenagers, and thus eager to "encourage their goodness" and to "challenge their selfishness" within the context of their actual lives.

At a time when many Episcopal schools have developed away from their church identities, some boarding schools have become day schools, and most secondary schools have grown larger, Father Dunnan has strengthened the church identity of Saint James, restored its boarding program, and preserved its smaller size, while also increasing its diversity and improving the quality of its academic and extracurricular programs. In doing this, he has developed a strong apology for Episcopal schools, for boarding schools, and for smaller, more focused secondary school communities. In all three ways, his argument is distinct, and he provides a uniquely encouraging perspective for secondary school educators and for parents of teenagers in America today. 

November 2002, 184pp., paperbound, ISBN 0-88135-370-1, $14.95