Building a Faculty of Friends at Leisure
Ryan Klopack & Ben Roberson
About
CON
VIV
IUM
The Forum's flagship event, Convivium is the only conference in the world designed specifically for teaching men and men interested in teaching.
Convivium combines the focus of a professional workshop with the leisure of a spiritual retreat by offering teachers the time, space, and camaraderie needed to think deeply about broader educational questions and their impact on the craft of teaching.
During the event you can expect lectures and breakout sessions, featuring both Heights faculty and our friends beyond the walls. In addition to plenary sessions, Convivium will also feature a set of breakout workshops led by teachers and scholars from institutions around the world, as well as networking opportunities.
Equally important, the conference will feature plenty of good food and drink, lively conversations, and local excursions.
Thanks to the generosity of the Herzog Foundation, which recognizes the importance of formative education and the teachers that make such education possible, Convivium will be free of charge. This includes conference registration, all meals at the conference, and lodging for the evenings of November 11 and 12.
On Friendship
Each year, Convivium centers on a common theme, inviting us to deepen our love and understanding of the vocation and craft of teaching.
This year’s theme is Friendship.
The theme is inspired by Cicero’s Laelius de Amicitia and the long tradition leading to and flowing from his work. Even more, it is inspired by the reality that friendship is one of the pearls of this life — and the next. It is also, we believe, near the heart of the teaching vocation.
We invite teachers, leaders, scholars, and friends of the Forum to propose an essay or breakout session exploring this theme from any angle: the friendships that form a faculty, the friendships students build with one another and with their teachers, the place of friendship in the texts and subjects we teach, friendship with God. The list could go on.
Events
Lectures from Experts
Dinners and Performances
Teacher-led Seminar Discussions
Breakout Sessions
Lectures from Experts
Dinners and Performances
Teacher-led Seminar Discussions
Breakout Sessions
Events
Event Card
Meet Our Keynote Speakers
Mr. Alvaro de Vicente
Headmaster, The Heights School
Headmaster of The Heights School, and an advisor to hundreds of school leaders, both of start-up schools and established schools seeking to revamp their offerings, especially for boys.
Dr. Santiago Schnell
Provost at Dartmouth College
Santiago Schnell, DPhil (Oxon), is Provost and Professor of Mathematics at Dartmouth, with adjunct appointments in Biochemistry & Cell Biology and Biomedical Data Science at the Geisel School of Medicine. A mathematical biologist by training, he also writes on the Catholic intellectual tradition, the philosophy of science, and the mission of Catholic higher education.
Mr. Colin Gleason
Head of Lower School, The Heights School
Colin Gleason is Head of the Lower School at The Heights School, his alma mater, where he has taught since graduating from college. He holds a B.A. in Classics from Washington and Lee University and an M.A. in Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University. A sought-after speaker on education and parenting, he also serves as Head Varsity Soccer Coach, earning Coach of the Year honors from both the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and the Washington Post.
Tuesday, November 11
Keynote
5:45 PM
The Challenges of Friendship Today
Alvaro de Vicente
Wednesday, November 12
Breakouts
8:45 AM
What Is Brotherhood? Trust and the Transcendent Third
Mark Lynch
Friendship, Formation, and the Future: Catholic Social Teaching, Socratic Dialogue, and AI in Work and Life
Laurance Alvarado
"Thou and I Am One": The Shakespearean Art of Friendship
Joe Perez-Benzo
Friendship of Unequals
Shane Ayers
Keynote
11:15 AM
Friendship and the Spirit of a Place
Dr. Santiago Schnell
Breakouts
1:30 PM
Player-Coach Relationships: Virtus-Vocatio-Visio Beatifica
Kurt Rose
Hopkins on Friendship: A Poetry Seminar
Tom Steenson & Austin Hatch
Discerning the Teaching Vocation
Colin Gleason
Friendship Is No Accident: Helping Young Men Build Deeper Connections
Joe Cardenas
Over-Scheduled and Insecure: Challenges to Friendship in the Middle Years
Shane O'Neill
Thursday, November 13
Keynote
8:45 AM
Befriending the World
Colin Gleason
Breakouts
11:15 AM
A Little Wonder Goes a Long Way: Developing Friendship Through Poetry
Tom Herman
Mid-Life Together: Cultivating Spiritual Life for Virtuous Friendship
Joseph Kester
Beyond the Walls: The Camaraderie of the Wild
Elias Naegele
Friendship After High School
Dave Maxham
Friendship Through Extracurricular Activities
Kyle Blackmer
Inquire
Join our mailing list to stay up-to-date on all things Convivium 2026. We won’t spam you; we dislike that as much as you do. But, we will let you know when the theme is announced, breakout proposal submissions open, registration opens, and hotel blocks are made available.