What Role Does Chapel Play in Boarding School Life?

What Does It Mean to Be an Episcopal School Today?

In this episode of “Inside SPS,” Rector Kathy Giles joins Rev. Chuck Wynder and Rev. Richmond Jones to explore what it means to be an Episcopal school in today’s world. Together, they discuss how St. Paul’s School honors its Episcopal tradition while welcoming students of all faiths and backgrounds, creating space for spiritual exploration, interfaith dialogue, worship, and belonging within a modern boarding school community. From chapel services and confirmation classes to partnerships with Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu leaders, the conversation highlights how SPS seeks to build a beloved community grounded in dignity, curiosity, and care for one another.

What Role Does Chapel Play in Boarding School Life?

Rector Kathy Giles sits down with Dean of Chapel the Rev. Chuck Wynder Jr. and Associate Dean the Rev. Richmond Jones to explore the role of chapel and spiritual life at St. Paul’s School today. Together, they discuss why SPS gathers four mornings each week in community, how students grapple with questions of meaning, ethics and belonging, and the essential role that spiritual formation plays in the lives of young people. From music and ritual to reflection, storytelling and the School Prayer, this conversation examines how chapel helps shape the values, relationships and sense of community at the heart of the SPS experience.

What’s it Like to Live and Work at a 100% Boarding School?

Rector Giles sits down with Beth Little and Drew Inzer, two heads of houses who also teach humanities and coach different sports, to discuss what it’s like to live and work alongside students in a fully residential school. During the episode, they talk about their approaches to building community within their dorms and how they work to support students in their growth toward more independence and responsibility while fostering a culture of respect and belonging. Mr. Inzer and Ms. Little also share what it is like to raise their families alongside students and how, at an all-boarding school like St. Paul’s School, “you need to turn into the community, and that’s a wonderful thing,” according to Mr. Inzer.

Student Health and Well-being

The adult community at St. Paul’s School is focused on helping children live healthy lives — both physically and emotionally. Join Rector Kathy Giles, Medical Director John Bassi, MD, and Vice Rector for School Life Theresa Ferns ’84, P’19 as they discuss the team-based approach to health and wellness that is both embedded in the School’s community structure and exists in the formalized services that are available through Clark House Health Center. They also explore how the School helps students build the skills of advocacy and resilience that help them flourish in all aspects of their high school experience.

College Advising at St. Paul’s School

As the college process for the Form of 2027 begins in earnest, Rector Kathy Giles sits down with Dean of College Advising Greg Buckles to discuss how the School supports students and their families in pursuing higher education. They trade “pro tips” for how to make the process growth-oriented, hopeful, realistic, and optimistic for both students and their families and explore how to define and shape successful outcomes — and what success may mean for each student.