Presbyterian Day School was founded as an outreach to the Memphis community. While our primary charge is to expand and enrich boys’ minds, character, and spirits, we believe that a private school can have a public purpose. Can a private school be a benefit to the local community? Throughout this issue, you can find some of the ways PDS is doing just that.

One of the ways we are fulfilling that public purpose is through sharing our teaching expertise with Mid-South educators. During the past school year, PDS launched the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence thanks to a significant gift from Brad Martin and his family. At the institute’s inaugural summer conference in June, approximately 500 educators were on campus to learn how to teach for tomorrow and beyond. You can find pictures from the conference beginning on page 12.

Over the past several years, PDS has been able to send over 80% of our teachers to the Harvard Graduate School of Education for professional development. Because of the Martin Institute, 11 teachers from six different public and private schools will be studying this summer at Harvard.

On page 20, you can also find some pictures from this spring’s Annual Distinguished Alumnus Luncheon, during which we recognized author Hampton Sides ‘74.