By Michael Schell
It was a privilege to contribute to Brennan Barnard’s latest Forbes piece by sharing the good work across Sparhawk Academy.
The research from Harvard’s Making Caring Common and Gallup is striking:
- 79% of Gen Z want careers focused on helping others
- 51% say their lives lack meaning, purpose, or both
- Nearly half feel “a lot” of pressure to find a single passion
Young people want to do good. But for too long they’ve been misled to believe that purpose is one grand calling they must find, package, and prove by 17 to get into the “best brand” college.
We believe something older and truer:
Purpose is found in ordinary work done well, offered for others. At Sparhawk Academy, that work takes three forms:
Liberal Arts. Wrestling with Homer or finishing a proof teaches that excellent work is its own offering.
Craftsmanship. Building, mending, and tending the farm, finished with care even when no one is watching.
Principled Entrepreneurship. Creating real value for others, with success measured by whom you serve.
And no one is formed alone. Our boys grow as a team and beside them are mentors who support their growth in competence and confidence.
To families: your son doesn’t need a brand. He needs meaningful work, good friends, and mentors who walk beside him.
The schools that form young people through the dignity of daily work, carried out with a principled entrepreneurial spirit rather than résumé polishing, will define the next decade.
Surgite!