Editors’ Note: All image credits go to the author, Lily Saal
A quiet, barely decorated classroom sits on the top floor of the 200s administrative building. There’s nothing special about the beige bulletin boards and blank whiteboards; Hundreds of kids pass by the classroom every day and hardly spare a glance. Little do they know, this unremarkable classroom hosts a twice-a-week ethics course called “Ethical Issues in Sports,” taught by legendary ethics teacher Walter Levis, who is retiring at the end of this year.
The course began with “Life as Sport: What Top Athletes Can Teach You about How to Win in Life” by Jonathan Fader (who recently gave a sports psychology talk at Fieldston). From there, Levis guided the class through basic moral theory and began applying it to sports and life. Each student in the class brought in a different topic ranging from whether or not fighting should be allowed in hockey, to the Michigan sign-stealing scandal.
In Levis’s D band class, which I was a part of, every single student was an athlete. We had soccer players, football players, track stars and to round it out, one field hockey player (me). Each day, we brought our personal experiences within sports to the discussions, often bringing up a specific moment. Levis skillfully took anecdotes and connected them to moral theory, prompting us as a class to make the connection, and grinning, perhaps handing out a fist-bump, when one of us did.
For over six years, Levis invited Gus Ornstein, Fieldston’s Athletic Director, to participate with the class. During a discussion of “Bountygate,” when the 2009 Saints’ Super Bowl team created a pool of money as an incentive for their defense to hurt opponents, Ornstein dramatically stood up and drew a play on the whiteboard – explaining how football is controlled violence, and all about protecting the people around you. The best part about Ornstein joining the class was you couldn’t tell who was having more fun: Ornstein or Levis. “Teaching with Mr. Levis has been a true highlight of my time at Fieldston,” said Ornstein. “And I will miss him and those class periods so much.”
And for my fellow students, Levis’s impact was profound. Luca Cavallaro (Form V) shared, “As the year progressed, I felt more and more comfortable speaking my mind. I [owe] that to Mr. Levis, who pushed us to speak our beliefs and gave us great comments in return.” Frank Polsky (Form V) emphasized, “Mr. Levis is the type of person that cares about each and every one of his students in and outside of the classroom.”
For the final class of Levis’s tenure, Ornstein arrived with his arms full of Fieldston merch, as parting gifts. The two joked and bantered like normal, completely comfortable with each other after all the years. Ornstein wasn’t the only one with parting gifts; as a class, we signed a card for Levis, and a few members ran to nearby Riverdeli to grab a slice of chocolate cake. Levis beamed and laughed as he thanked the class. He took a large bite of his cake and then passed it around, wanting to share it with everyone.
Hearing the commotion, or maybe wanting some chocolate cake, Head of School Joe Algrant popped his head in the door. Immediately, Levis directed the discussion at him: “Head of School! What’s more motivating, hating to lose or loving to win?” Algrant, on the spot, answered, “Hating to lose.” His interest officially piqued, Algrant pulled up a chair and joined the class for the rest of the period.
Finally, as the clock neared 2:50, Levis began his final speech – the last time we would hear him lead our class again. He began strong: “We started this course with Jonathan Fader’s ‘Life is Sport,’ right?” The class nodded, the only sound in the room was the faint whirring of the AC. All eyes in the room focused on Levis, who continued, “But I’m here to tell you that it’s not. Sports are competition. Life is not.” At this point, Levis’s voice quiets, and he looks down. When he looks up, his eyes are rimmed red: “What I hope you all took out of this class was not how to become a better athlete, but how to become a better person.”
The Ethical Issues in Sports D band was an unruly group at the start (it seemed like a class clown competition each class). By the end, Levis wrangled us into aggressive readers, attentive listeners and above all, ethicists.
Thank you, Mr. Levis, for an incredible tenure. Fieldston, especially your Ethical Issues in Sports Class, will miss you dearly.
