Cathedral School for Boys

They made it off the river!

Since departing nine days ago, a group of our rising Grade 8 students has been on the Green River for this year’s NOLS x CSB whitewater rafting expedition — paddling, camping, working as a team, practicing leadership, and learning far beyond the classroom.

We can’t wait to welcome them back to San Francisco and hear the stories they’ll carry with them into their final year at Cathedral.

The journey begins.

Yesterday, a group of rising eighth graders set off for this year’s NOLS x CSB summer expedition: a whitewater rafting adventure on the Green River.

Building on their Grade 4–7 Outdoor Education experiences, and especially this spring’s Grade 7 rafting trip, the expedition gives students the chance to practice leadership, teamwork, resilience, and responsibility in a setting far beyond the classroom.

Thank you to Mr. Rahlson and our partners at NOLS for creating this incredible opportunity for our boys.

Here’s to strong paddling, good teamwork, and stories they’ll remember for a lifetime.

From Merced to Mariposa to Yosemite, one mile at a time. 🚲

This week, Mr. Mundy continued a beloved summer tradition, leading a small group of just-graduated eighth graders on a three-day bike trip to Yosemite. Joined this year by Father Timothy and a CSB alum from the Class of 2018, the group rode 50 miles through the Central Valley on day one, another 50 miles toward Yosemite on day two, and a final 20 miles into the park on Tuesday, where they met families at Cathedral Beach.

A few flat tires? Naturally. Great weather, determined boys, beautiful scenery, and a whole lot of Cathedral spirit? Absolutely.

Well done, gentlemen. ❤️💛

Huge congratulations to Darnell Adler ’18, who has been named the global winner of the 2026 Red Bull Basement World Final!

Darnell’s winning idea, Lifeline AI, is a personal safety platform designed to help people reach emergency responders and trusted contacts in moments when using a phone may not be possible. His idea rose to the top of a global innovation competition that drew more than 135,000 submissions.

We are incredibly proud to celebrate Darnell’s creativity, purpose, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to building something that can help others.

Well done, Darnell. Your Cathedral School community is proud to celebrate this extraordinary achievement!

Move-Up Day has a little bit of everything: one eye on the year behind us, one eye on the year ahead, and both feet firmly in the joyful chaos of right now.

Students got a glimpse of the year ahead by visiting their future classrooms and teachers, fourth graders got a first taste of life in the Upper School, lockers and classrooms were cleaned out, yearbooks were signed, and the Class of 2026 soaked up one of its final days on campus.

And on an absolutely beautiful, sunny San Francisco day, the roof was the place to be: the Grade 8 Slam Dunk Contest, the annual Grade 8 vs. Faculty Basketball Game, and exactly the right amount of friendly competition, big cheers, shared laughter, and end-of-year magic.

A day for looking back.
A day for looking ahead.
A day for celebrating the boys right where they are.

A Cathedral School full-circle moment.

Today, our Grade 8 students traveled to the Oakland Zoo with their Kindergarten Little Brothers, continuing one of CSB’s most joyful year-end traditions.

Eight years ago, these same Grade 8 students were Kindergarten boys on this very trip, standing alongside their own Grade 8 Big Brothers. Now, as they prepare to graduate, they are the ones leading, caring for, and making memories with the youngest boys at Cathedral School.

Then and now, this tradition reminds us that leadership begins in relationship, grows through responsibility, and continues from one generation of Cathedral boys to the next.

Last night, several of our Grade 8 students, soon to become Cathedral alumni, joined Fr. Timothy and Mr. Tesfai at City Hope for the annual CSB-sponsored Trivia Dinner & Birthday Celebration.

The evening was a meaningful final act of service before graduation, as our boys helped welcome neighbors in the Tenderloin through City Hope’s mission of radical hospitality. Back on campus, classmates contributed in their own way, baking more than 200 homemade cookies and brownies to share at the event.

While the boys served at City Hope, their parents gathered for a special reception with our head of school and his family, marking another milestone in these students’ final days at Cathedral School.

A sweet ending, in every sense, for the Class of 2026. Well done, gentlemen.

After completing their California Gold Rush unit in social studies, our Grade 3 students brought their learning to life yesterday with a field trip to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma.

The boys panned for gold, made leather pokes (small money pouches), and explored what it might have been like to prepare for a journey west by deciding what to load into a wagon. Through these hands-on activities, they connected what they studied in the classroom with the choices, challenges, and experiences that shaped this important chapter in California history.

Even with chilly weather and a storm rolling in just as the group was leaving, the trip offered a vivid, memorable way to wrap up both their Gold Rush unit and the school year. Field trips like this are a wonderful reminder of how experiential learning helps history feel tangible and real.