60 Minutes That Changed Everything

After the 60 Minutes broadcast of “The Resurrection of St. Benedict’s Prep” on March 20, 2016, the story went viral. So did our mission. Seen by more than 10 million viewers on that first air date, thousands connected and the Gray Bee community welcomed new friends and teammates.

Mostly, people across the country and around the world had two questions: “How do you do it?” and “How can we do this in our own schools?” On March 21, 2016, St. Benedict’s Prep and Newark Abbey entered a new era. Benedict’s grew in size and purpose, formed new partnerships, expanded its impact and became a model for the nation on how to accompany kids and communities toward better lives.

Asked to attend a morning school gathering 200 miles from Newark, N.J., Bill Treanor, Ph.D., thought he’d been dropped into a parallel universe. A member of the St. Benedict’s Prep Board of Trustees since 2017, Dr. Treanor noticed a strong sense of community. Students led prayer, reflected on the “Good Message for the Day,” and took charge of attendance. He texted his whereabouts to Headmaster Fr. Edwin Leahy, O.S.B. ’63, with the message, “This seems very familiar.”

The sensation Dr. Treanor experienced was no coincidence. It was one of many examples of the growth and influence of St. Benedict’s Prep after the 2016 segment on 60 Minutes thrust the School into the national spotlight. The first order of business was responding to the overwhelming number of schools and organizations that called and emailed to ask, “How can we do this in our own communities?” 

Fr. Edwin was clear from the start. The approach to education that inspired viewers from every corner of the country to connect with Benedict’s, “Is not ours to protect. It’s ours to share.” The Fr. Mark Payne Institute was established to assist. Within a year, FMPI, led by Glenn Cassidy, Ed.D.’90, forged long-term partnerships with schools. FMPI student-fellows introduced the School’s Four Pillars (Community, Student Leadership, Counseling and Experiential Learning) to groups of students, faculty and administrators who visited Newark and ran workshops on campuses in Delaware, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Today, students at an all-male academy in Tulsa complete a manhood hike patterned on The Backpacking Project and high schoolers at a Lutheran school in Milwaukee bond in Packs modeled on the Group system at Benedict’s. The student-led Convocation Dr. Treanor witnessed was Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, a coed Catholic school in Takoma, Md., that partnered with FMPI in 2023. A year after the daily gathering began, DBCR reported that tardiness dropped by 31% and absences fell by 17%. 

“After the 60 Minutes piece ran, it opened the door for folks to take a closer look and see what they could glean,” said Sonni Holland, President & CEO of The Charles Hayden Foundation. The foundation has invested in a range of initiatives at St. Benedict’s since 1975. While The Hive had long welcomed visitors, the high level of interest led to a more formalized structure and process for institutions to learn about Benedict’s. In turn, St. Benedict’s gained connections and access to greater resources. “All of the schools that The Charles Hayden Foundation supports, we recommend they go take a look at St. Benedict’s,” Mr. Holland added. “Not to become St. Benedict’s, but to see how young people can have a say, hold themselves accountable and challenge each other.” 

Schools and enterprises like the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame now look to St. Benedict’s for guidance to strengthen the educational experience and outcomes. FMPI’s outreach, site visits, trainings and symposia impact 30,000 students annually. That number is set to grow with recent collaborations established with Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah; The Circle, a network of 30 Mumbai-based schools working to expand opportunities for children across India; and Apex Education, an association of non-profit blended-learning schools in South Africa. 

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“All of the schools that The Charles Hayden Foundation supports, we recommend they go take a look at St. Benedict’s.”

— Sonni Holland, President & CEO, The Charles Hayden Foundation

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From 550 to 1,000 Students

The decade following 60 Minutes prompted significant inner growth at St. Benedict’s. People recognized a succeeding mission that they backed with financial support, which created a pathway to pursue greater ambitions in the service of students. In 2017, St. Benedict’s announced its expansion to K-12 education, an effort that began two years earlier when the School assumed responsibility for St. Mary School from the Archdiocese of Newark. The new structure (Elementary Division, Middle Division and Boys Prep Division) made strategic sense. St. Mary was located on the Property. The statewide downsizing of Catholic education adversely affected grammar schools and the Elementary Division would be well-positioned to thrive within St. Benedict’s robust advancement operation. 

The K-12 model also meant greater intentionality in a curriculum spanning three Divisions. Elements of the Four Pillars were also adapted to younger grades. The Grossman Family Counseling Center started a Play Therapy program in the Elementary Division; Dean of the Middle Division James Duffy H’16 strengthened the Group System and leadership roles for middle schoolers. 

A second growth spurt followed in 2020 when the Girls Prep Division was created. The Division, which now numbers 200 young women, wasn’t part of any strategic plan. It happened because a group of persistent Benedictine Academy senior leaders, empowered by the work they did with FMPI, successfully advocated for a single-sex division at St. Benedict’s Prep. 

The six-year-old Division has impacted family legacies. Fathers and grandfathers can now send their daughters and granddaughters to The Hive to be loved, challenged and shaped for life the same way they were. Sisters follow their older brothers to The Hive or pave the way for their younger siblings. Four years after her brother, Bruce Davis ’16, graduated from Benedict’s (the Senior Group Leader featured in the 60 Minutes segment), Kymberli Davis ’24 joined the pioneering freshman class in the Girls Prep Division. She was also drawn to leadership and served as Freshman Leader her senior year. Kymberli now attends Monmouth University and is studying political science with a concentration in legal studies. Bruce is a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service. “Being exposed to leadership very early and having responsibility thrust on you early sets you on a path,” he reflected in an interview for a video on the growth of St. Benedict’s after 60 Minutes. “Even if you’re not looking for it, it finds you.” 

Leadership Training Expands

Leadership training at The Hive is now more intentional, with a sequence of experiences instituted since 2022. Two months after they finish a challenging freshman year bookended by the Overnight and Backpacking Project, UDIs roll into the Water Adversity Challenge in Summer Phase, an intensive course that tests students’ ability to survive in water while building confidence and resilience. UDIIs complete the capstone expedition, Wilderness Inspired Leadership Development, in Sandyston, N.J. Both programs are facilitated in partnership with Victory Road Leadership Development Group. 

Gray Bee perspectives have also widened through a roster of new partnerships, from a seminar on racism and antisemitism with Rae Kushner Yeshiva Academy in Livingston, N.J., to an annual summer trek to Wyoming where Gray Bees learn to build healthier ecosystems with the Grand Teton Science School. Building Bridges, which is in its fifth year of bringing students and New Jersey State Troopers together for a shared teamwork experience, is a model on how to improve relationships between law enforcement and communities of color. 

Still, a landmark event like 60 Minutes can only take a mission so far. What might be a fleeting moment for other institutions became a catalyst for lasting change at St. Benedict’s Prep, which will continue to innovate and inspire by doing what’s best for kids.