A Letter From Cathedral’s Head of School

As you get to know our school, we hope you will grow to appreciate the exceptional qualities that make Cathedral School for Boys so unique. Over a decade ago, those same qualities drew me to the school and compelled me to send my two sons to this amazing institution.
 
Perhaps a quick account of our founding will help explain who we are and what we believe.
In the mid-1950s, a group of visionary families began to consider the need for a new independent school in San Francisco. What quickly emerged was the concept of an exceptional academic school for boys that was accessible to capable young men throughout the Bay Area. A few essential attributes quickly established a foothold within their deliberations.
 
First, they believed that academically excellent schools should not be limited to families occupying a certain geography, and they worked hard to attract academically capable boys who would benefit from the rigorous and robust education that the school offered.
 
Second, they recognized the imperative of character development. In their view, academic achievement alone was inadequate if students failed to apply what they learned to make the world a better place. In other words, for the founders of Cathedral School, the application of learning mattered as much as the learning itself.
 
Third, they recognized the value of a school that lived into the traditions of community, integrity, and service that represented, in their view, hallmarks of the nation’s finest Episcopal schools. The community’s values would help harmonize the community and chart each boy’s course.
 
From these principles emerged the school that so many of us believe in so fervently. Those same hallmarks persist to this day and are encapsulated so well in Cathedral School’s Mission.
 
“Cathedral School for Boys cultivates exemplary young men who are scholars and leaders of strong moral character. Our approach is guided by a commitment to intellectual inquiry and rigor and our Episcopal values of community, integrity, and service to others.”
 
All of this comes together, then, to create a school that is different by design. At a time when it is easy to exalt personal achievement over the common good, and when it is common to view independent schools as places of transaction rather than places of transformation, we aspire to something different and to something more.
 
Cathedral School for Boys remains committed to forming the type of scholars, leaders, and young men of character that we believe society both needs and deserves. We are all better, we believe, because of this effort.
 
Very truly yours,
 
Burns Jones
Head of School

About Burns Jones

Burns Jones has served as Cathedral’s Head of School since 2015. Before joining Cathedral, Mr. Jones was the Head of Canterbury School, an independent, preschool – grade 8 Episcopal day school in North Carolina.

Mr. Jones holds a B.A. in English from Sewanee, an M.A. in English from Middlebury, and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina. In 2014, Burns was awarded a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University’s School of Education. He serves as a member of the Board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, and St. Mary’s School (a girls’ high school in Raleigh, NC.) He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Elementary School Heads Association, and a member of the Visionary Heads Group.
 
He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two sons, Wyatt ’20 and Crawford ’24. In addition to his responsibilities as Head of School, Burns coaches soccer and runs the student law club at Cathedral.

(About the above photo: In celebration of Burns’ birthday, the Parents Association created a cookie — a smart cookie — in his likeness.)

Heads-Up Blog

List of 3 items.

  • 2025-09-30: Why Multi-Sport Athletes Win in the Long Run

    30 September 2025
     
    One of the biggest debates in youth sports is whether young athletes should focus on one sport early or play many. A recent New York Times article addresses this question through the analysis of the career of tennis star Jannik Sinner, who grew up skiing and dabbling in other sports before committing to tennis at the age of 13. Now 24, he’s the world’s No. 2 player, but researchers note that his late start may have been an advantage.
     
    Studies show that kids who specialize too early are more likely to get injured and miss out on critical skills like adaptability, creativity, and problem-solving. Multi-sport athletes often carry over lessons from one activity to another: Patrick Mahomes’s baseball and basketball skills sharpened his vision and arm angles on the football field; Aaron Judge was a three-sport standout before ever stepping into Yankee Stadium.
     
    When the time comes, some of our boys may choose to specialize. But by then, we hope that our program has laid the foundation for broad skills, strong bodies, and healthy attitudes toward competition. In the long run, that foundation sets them up for success, whether on the playing field or far beyond it.
     
    Burns Jones
    Head of School

  • 2025-09-02: A School in Harmony

    2 September 2025
     
    One of my favorite traditions at Cathedral is how often we gather in Grace Cathedral. It’s not just for the big moments, such as Opening Day last week or Graduation in June, but also for the small, steady rhythms that shape our year.
     
    On Thursday evenings, we have Evensong. It’s quiet, reflective, and rooted in the Anglican tradition. Most weeks our choristers sing, and hearing their voices rise through the Cathedral never fails to move me. I’ll be honest, sometimes I walk in still carrying the day, a long list of emails in my head, but by the end I always feel lighter. Forty-five minutes of music and reflection has a way of resetting your spirit.
     
    And then Friday morning comes along, and the tone couldn’t be more different. Hymn Sing is spirited, joyful, and full of laughter [see images below from last Friday’s Hymn Sing]. Boys, parents, faculty, and staff sing together, sometimes beautifully, sometimes with gusto more than pitch, and that’s the point. It’s about showing up as a community, starting the day with joy, and remembering that our voices carry together.
     
    I love that we do both. Quiet reflection and spirited song. Reverence and play. Those two traditions remind me every week that our school isn’t one note, it’s a harmony. My invitation to you: make time for one of these gatherings this fall. You’ll leave with a lighter step and a stronger connection to this place that we all share.
     
    Join Us:
     
    • Evensong: 5:30–6:15pm on Thursdays in Grace Cathedral
    • Hymn Sing: 8:25–8:55am on Fridays in Grace Cathedral
     
    Burns Jones
    Head of School

  • 2025-09-16: Phones, Kids, and the Questions We Can’t Avoid

    16 September 2025
     
    A couple weekends ago, The New York Times ran an article about Jean Twenge, a psychologist who has been studying the effects of smartphones and social media on children and teens for more than a decade. You may remember her viral piece from 2017, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” — a provocative title for a very real question that many parents, educators, and researchers are still asking today.
     
    Twenge’s latest book, 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World, offers advice that is as practical as it is challenging. Her “rules” include delaying smartphones until a child is old enough to drive, holding off on social media until at least age 16, and—perhaps most importantly—keeping devices out of bedrooms overnight. She acknowledges that these guidelines may cause friction at home, but her point is clear: the risks of too much access, too soon, are significant.
     
    At Cathedral, we see the effects of technology every day. Our boys are growing up in a world where connection, entertainment, and distraction all live in the same device. They are also growing up in a community that believes in balance, discipline, and the importance of relationships built face-to-face. Twenge reminds us that parents are not powerless. Setting clear expectations around technology, and modeling healthy habits ourselves, can make a real difference.
     
    As always, I encourage you to read widely, talk openly with your children, and connect with fellow parents. None of us will get this exactly right, but together we can help our boys develop the judgment and resilience they’ll need in a digital world.
     
    Burns Jones
    Head of School
Burns Jones
Head of School

415.771.6600 
jones@cathedralschool.net
“From our position of strength, Cathedral School for Boys will prepare boys to live their lives with purpose, and to thrive within our ever-changing world.”
 
— Burns Jones, Head of School

Cathedral School for Boys

Located in San Francisco, California, Cathedral School for Boys is an independent elementary school for boys in Kindergarten – Grade 8. Our mission is to provide an excellent education through intellectual inquiry and rigor that is centered in the Episcopal tradition and is respectful of and welcoming to people of all religious traditions and beliefs.