When Jack Lowe began Gill St. Bernard’s as a ninth grade student in the fall of 2010, he already felt connected to the school through its soccer program. A talented and dedicated player, Lowe knew members of Gill’s soccer team from camps and tournaments, and he wanted a chance to play for Coach Tony Bednarsky. Predictably, over the course of the next four years, Lowe grew in mastery as a player to become a top goal scorer, team leader, captain, and Division I prospect. He still counts his Gill teammates among his most valued friends and “cannot say enough about all that Coach Bednarsky did for me, all that I am thankful for.” Recounting Lowe’s four years at Gill, his experience with the soccer program turned out to be great, better than anticipated.

 

Like many stories, Lowe’s involves a twist; in his case, a torn ACL sustained during a pre-season practice at the onset of his senior year, provided that in both the literal and figurative sense. But the real surprise here is not that Lowe needed to rethink his future when an injury threatened to derail his soccer career, but rather that he made the transition from player to sideline supporter with such ease. Although Lowe loved playing soccer at Gill, his life at the school was never limited to or defined by athletics. From the very beginning, Lowe’s friends, teachers and coaches encouraged him to explore all of his interests, to challenge himself and take risks.

 

For Lowe, one of those early risks was attending a Lead for Diversity program during the summer of his ninth grade year. He notes, “It was the first time that I had ever gone away for a camp or an event that didn’t have anything to do with soccer. A week in the summer—at first, I didn’t want to go, but Mrs. Tierney, who was the school’s Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, really encouraged me to try it.” Looking back on the retreat, he describes it as “one of the best experiences of my life.” He adds, “It got me interested in social justice—more than interested—it fueled a passion that I didn’t even know I had. It shaped me.” Lowe went on to lead the club HERO (Helping Everyone Respect Others), which later became Gill for Diversity.

 

Reflecting on his four years at GSB, Lowe believes the small class sizes and the strong sense of community helped him to take on leadership roles and to appreciate the value of service. “I would stand up in front of the Upper School every Monday at assembly and talk about HERO,” he says, adding “It wasn’t something I thought I would be doing, but I was trying to make a difference. I felt that the things we did at Gill mattered; they had an impact. The school provided a lot of opportunities to affect visible change on the campus and in the larger community.”

 

Today, Lowe is a cadet at West Point. As a first year student, he studies military science and military history in addition to core subjects: calculus, chemistry, English and psychology. While Lowe credits the academic program and the small class sizes at Gill with preparing him for the coursework at West Point, he believes that equally important preparation stemmed from the school’s commitment to honesty, service and community. “Everyone at West Point is training to be an officer, so the honor code is everything.” He continues, “At Gill, there was a really strong value system that informed every aspect of campus life. I remember the way everyone would leave backpacks around. It wasn’t this abstract code but a way of life. There were just so many kind people there, and you could trust that they would do the right thing.”