What does it take to raise boys into men in today’s culture? Fr. Mark Perkins, chaplain and assistant headmaster at St. Dunstan’s Academy, joins Davies Owens to discuss the urgent challenges facing boys and the bold vision behind launching a farm, trades, and classics boys’ boarding school in the Anglican tradition. Drawing on personal experience as a teacher, minister, and father, Fr. Mark highlights why so many boys are disengaging from schools, church, and even family life – and what we can do about it. From the importance of rites of passage, to the value of single-sex education, to the power of farming and trades as apprenticeships into manhood, this conversation offers parents and school leaders practical insights for re-embodying learning and lengthening the runway into adulthood. You’ll also hear about The Joshua Program, a new vocational discernment gap-year track for young men ages 17–20.
🎧 Tune in to discover:
- Why boys today struggle with school, work, and even forming families
- How rites of passage and mentorship shape healthy masculinity
- The four pillars of St. Dunstan’s Academy: Christian formation, classical academics, farming life, and trades
- Practical steps for parents and schools to cultivate responsibility, resilience, and community
Resources Mentioned:
https://mereorthodoxy.com/common-arts-that-matter
Special Thanks to our partners who make BaseCamp Live possible:
The Herzog Foundation
ZipCast
Wilson Hill Academy
Life Architects Coaching
Fr. Mark Perkins moved back to central Virginia in 2023 with his wife and four children to help launch St. Dunstan’s Academy. Fr. Perkins is a graduate of Hillsdale College (BA, 2009) and Trinity Anglican Seminary (MAR, 2019).
Prior to entering ministry full-time, he taught for nine years at The Covenant School in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he also coached basketball and soccer. He was awarded the Rotary Club’s Mentor Award after his first semester of teaching. In 2019, Bishop Walter Grundorf ordained Fr. Perkins to the priesthood on the Feast of St. Wenceslas (September 28). Before he became Chaplain and Assistant Headmaster at St. Dunstan’s, he served for three years as Curate at St. Alban’s Anglican Cathedral in Oviedo, Florida.
Connect with Mark: