On this week's show, Father Edwin Leahy,
O.S.B. schools us about the compelling new Quibi short-form
series Benedict
Men.
About Father Edwin Leahy,
O.S.B.:
FATHER EDWIN D. LEAHY, O.S.B., became
the 23rd Headmaster of Saint Benedict's Preparatory
School in 1972. St. Benedict's has now grown to 747
young men, most from African American and Hispanic backgrounds, and
51 faculty members. 98% of the school’s graduates go on to college,
with the most academically talented attending such colleges as
Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Harvard, Notre
Dame, NYU, Penn and Rutgers. Today, St. Benedict’s Prep
includes a counseling center--a comprehensive mental health
services department. The department is at the forefront of applied
school psychology and is a resource virtually nonexistent in other
urban school settings, an achievement which was featured in the
documentary "The Rule" by Marylou and Jerome Bongiorno.
During Father Edwin’s tenure focused therapy groups were
established for the St. Benedict's students, including Alateen for
students with a loved one who abuses drugs or alcohol, and Unknown
Sons for students who do not have relationships with, or knowledge
of their fathers. In 2005 the Velvet Rope program was established
in the Leahy House, which helps resident students deal with a
variety of socio-emotional issues that impact their learning.
About Benedict
Men:
Executive produced by Stephen
Curry, Benedict
Men is a documentary series that chronicles
life at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, N.J., an
all-boys school founded on one core belief: "Whatever hurts my
brother, hurts me.” The series follows the school’s
nationally ranked basketball team as they learn the meaning of
brotherhood through academic excellence and sport. Their
value does not lie in the number of points they score, but rather
what they accomplish together as a team.