Skip to content
Podcast

On Recess: The Benefits of Free Play

Heights boys enjoy three recesses daily in the Lower School. It’s not just a chance to stretch their legs. To the contrary, recess is viewed as a class here. Our boys learn toughness, prudence, and how to evaluate risks. Listen in to learn more about the benefits of unstructured free play, and how you can bring this practice to your home or school… ideally both, because what we do at home affects our son’s experience at school.

About the Guest

Colin Gleason

Head of Lower School, The Heights School

Colin Gleason serves as Head of the Lower School at The Heights, where he graduated in 1999. After college, he returned to his alma mater where he has taught a variety of classes: 3rd Grade Homeroom; Natural History; Chess; Storytelling; and currently, Moral Theology in the Upper School. He served four years as the Director of Admissions before taking on his current position as Head of the Lower School in 2010, overseeing his beloved Valley where he began as a student. Colin has also served as the Head Varsity Soccer Coach since 2010, and has been named Coach of the Year by the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and All Met Coach of the Year by the Washington Post. During the summer, Colin directs The Heights Soccer Camp and The Dangerous Camp for Boys. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Washington and Lee University and a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University. He and his wife, Nicole, and their five children live in Kensington.

Learn More

Subscribe to The Heights Forum Newsletter

Name(Required)
I'm interested in content for...
Select if you'd like to receive a monthly newsletter specifically for any of these educator roles.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.