Legacies are the Greatest Compliment

Legacy admissions have become controversial in some parts of our country. Not at St. Benedict’s Prep. The greatest compliment I’ve experienced in my 52 years as Headmaster is watching the sons and daughters of alumni take their rightful place at The Hive. The fact that our graduates go to great lengths to ensure their children have the same or similar experience they did as Gray Bees speaks volumes about their trust in St. Benedict’s and our core pillars: community, student leadership, tending to the heart and experiential learning. 

With the Senior Leadership teams from the Boys and Girls Prep Divisions in charge, two new classes of freshmen are navigating Summer Phase and learning what it means to be a Benedict’s man or woman. Some will buy-in to the process right away, for others it will take time before, “Whatever hurts my brother hurts me,” or “Whatever hurts my sister hurts me,” really kicks in.  

Though it’s still early days for the Class of 2028, they are discovering that they are capable of a lot more than when they entered the Property for their respective Overnight Weeks. They’ve started a journey that, decades from now, they’ll look back on and want to send their own children to St. Benedict’s Prep. That is the point of this place. Whether you’re a first year earning your way into the community, or a Benedict’s icon of blessed memory, there’s a connectedness that binds generations of Gray Bees together.  

Who doesn’t want to be a part of that? So…if you have children in seventh or eighth grade, check out an Open House this fall. Read this issue’s Cover Story and learn about legacy families from Newark, the Oranges, and from faraway distances, South Jersey, Atlanta and Toronto, who’ve rearranged their lives to send their kids to The Hive. Talk to our Admissions team leads, Mario Gallo and Analisa Branco, to explore the possibilities. Tell them Fr. Ed sent you. 

Finally, our deepest thanks to the nearly 3,000 teammates who supported St. Benedict’s Prep with a gift in 2023-24. Your belief in our mission and the nearly 1,000 kids entrusted to our care raised more than $24 million. I look forward to sharing a complete list in the Annual Report. Until then, pray for us and be assured of our prayers for you.

Peace!

​​Fr. Edwin Leahy, O.S.B. ’63
Headmaster

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Fall Open House Dates

October 12
November 2
December 7

Visit sbp.org/admissions/open-house to learn more.

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