Q&A with Board of Trustees President Mike Cummings and Head of School Dave Farace ’87

In the fall of 2023, the School hosted a 150th Anniversary celebration weekend. Tell us about the festivities from your perspective. What feelings did it evoke for you?

[DAVE] It was pretty magical. The Friday night gala was an experience unlike any other I’ve had on campus. Basking in the celebration alongside more than 1,000 friends, colleagues, parents, and alumni solidified my belief that McDonogh truly is a second home for so many of us. From the Home Again arts production to the gala to the football game and everything in between, the entire weekend was just spectacular. I woke up on Sunday morning with a grateful heart and a raspy voice.

This has been an exciting time with McDonogh celebrating its sesquicentennial year. What is your hope for the School’s future?

[MIKE] During the 150 years of its existence, McDonogh has successfully navigated economic collapses, world wars, political unrest, racial division, global pandemics, and countless other challenges, which are now turbocharged by the proliferation of social media and the 24/7 news cycle. What has McDonogh done in the face of these challenges? The School has remained unwavering in its commitment to teaching students “how to think, not what to think.” My hope (and expectation) for the future is that the School will continue to stay true to this commitment. Will the School be perfect? No—that is an impossible expectation. Will the School strive for perfection and learn from any missteps? Yes. If McDonogh continues to walk this tightrope to the best of its ability, it will have the opportunity to further differentiate itself from other schools as a place that inspires and maximizes personal and intellectual growth.

A McDonogh education continues to be highly soughtafter. In your opinion, what is the “secret sauce?”

[DAVE] Interestingly enough, I addressed this question in my Commencement remarks last June. While many people credit “joy” as the secret sauce of McDonogh, I propose that intentional gratitude is the true source. It allows us to focus on the good, to find joy in the simplest of moments, and to build trusting relationships within our community. It inspires us to “give something more than we take.” The Class of 2023 lived through incredibly difficult days—the pandemic, social unrest, political polarization, mass shootings, and the painful losses of a cherished teacher and classmate. Yet they thrived as a class by practicing the art of gratitude for each other and the McDonogh community. As a fourth grader told Head of Lower School Nancy Fleury last spring: “A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.”

Leave it to one of our youngest Eagles to summarize McDonogh’s secret sauce!

The Legacy Campaign is set to close this June with a historic $90 million fundraising goal (with $86 million raised to date!). Tell us about the importance of this campaign as a sign of strength and vitality for our School community.

[MIKE] McDonogh has survived and thrived for 150 years due to the generosity of donors. It is not an exaggeration to say that the School would not be here today but for the philanthropic support provided through fundraising efforts like The Legacy Campaign. This campaign is particularly important in that it serves as a way to honor the first 150 years of the School. It also establishes a foundation upon which to build the next 150 years of life-altering educational experiences by supporting access and academic excellence.

Focusing on those two core elements will help to ensure that McDonogh will flourish as a beacon of opportunity for years to come.

The School recently announced that McDonogh will be a host site for Bridges Baltimore, expanding the School’s footprint in doing the greatest possible amount of good. What excites you about this program and McDonogh’s involvement?

[DAVE] I am so excited about the growth of our Greatest Good McDonogh program and its new partnership with Bridges. Supporting talented students from around Baltimore in their pursuit of academic success and providing our upper schoolers the opportunity to develop a deeper commitment to civic engagement aligns with Greatest Good McDonogh’s vision—cultivating an empathetic community that finds joy and purpose in doing the greatest good in the world.

If you could travel back to another time in McDonogh’s history, when/where would you go, and why?

[DAVE] I would go back to 1983-1987, my four years in the dorms. Boarding at McDonogh was an immensely fulfilling experience for me, particularly because of the lifelong friendships and strong sense of independence it cultivated.

[MIKE] I would go back 150 years to the earliest days of McDonogh. I would like to see how the School started so that I could better appreciate what it has become (and where it is going). It is easy to take for granted what we have today, and I think it would provide incredible context to truly appreciate the School’s beginnings.

Hey, @davefarace87, we hear you’re on Instagram! How many followers do you have, and what has been the response?

[DAVE] I am up to 640 followers. I have the best job in Baltimore—Instagram allows me to document it and give people a sense of how special McDonogh is.