Reigniting Tradition: St. Luke’s Founders’ Cup

Founders' Cup is an Upper School year-long competition to promote unity and school spirit. This St. Luke's tradition dates back to World War II. It was relaunched by the 2013 Student Council President Ben Decatur and Vice President Sebastian Bates. This year, the Student Council revived this competition to improve the sense of camaraderie and school spirit on campus. 

We divided the entire Upper School (students and faculty alike) into three houses. The Von Fabrice House (Maroon) was named after William Von Fabrice, The Blakely House (White) was named after Edward Bradford Blakely, and the Kidd House (Gray) was named after Dr. Joseph Kidd. 

Edward Bradford Blakely, namesake, of the White Team, attended high school at the Berkeley School before graduating from Harvard University in 1902. In 1928, Blakely co-founded St. Luke’s School for Boys in New Cannan, Connecticut. By the 1930s, he became headmaster and stated in the New York Times that “the road to real education can never be made a primrose path.” In 1936, Mr. Blakely sold St. Luke’s to Dr. Kidd and Mr. Von Fabrice. 

Dr. Joseph Kidd, the namesake of the Gray Team,  received his bachelor's degree from Yale University, his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, and his Doctorate of Science from Lafayette College. Dr. Joseph Kidd and William Von Fabrice bought St. Luke’s School for Boys in 1937. Dr. Kidd was the headmaster for the next 25 years, bringing the enrollment to 240 boys. Dr. Kidd emphasized the importance of small class sizes and carefully selected teachers. He created the school's reputation for nurturing individual interests and achievements. As a result, St. Luke's became well known as an exceptional school among colleges and universities. 

William Von Fabrice, the namesake for the Maroon Team, attended Cornell University, received his master’s from Columbia University, taught at DeVeaux College, and was the principal of Ridgefield High School. In December of 1937, Mr. Von Fabrice bought the school along with Dr. Joseph Kidd. 

Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, the teams had many point-earning opportunities. We paired up with different student organizations to attach point values to their respective events, held other games during Town Meetings, awarded points for semi-formal attendance, and much more.

The final week of the competition, Founders’ Week, took place the first week of May and was filled with fun student-faculty activities, including flag football, volleyball, student vs. faculty kickball, and more. Seeing so many people join in the fun was great, from playing the game to cheering on their friends. 

This year’s Founders’ Cup winner was announced during Town Meeting on May 9.  While the Gray Team had a substantial lead as we entered Founders’ Week, the Maroon Team pulled ahead for the win! The Gray Team took second, and the White Team came in third. As the Founders’ Cup winners, the Maroon Team has received two dress-down days, a pizza lunch, and their team name engraved on the Founders’ trophy. 

The revival of the Founders’ Cup has been a wonderful opportunity to unite the community and engage in friendly competition while rallying to celebrate St. Luke’s.