Berwick Academy Head of School

I don’t think everyone is aware that for this period between Thanksgiving and Winter break, grade levels within the Middle School temporarily re-organize themselves to offer interdisciplinary learning experiences to break up the regular routine of class. This year, I was asked to participate in the “Machine Pilot” aspect of the seventh grade effort to explore the concept of extra-terrestrial life (E.T.). Seventh graders are asked to consider who, out of anyone on the planet, they would choose to send into outer space to interact with alien life forms and why. Our students are told they can literally choose any person on the planet, and the focus need not necessarily be someone with experience in space travel. In fact, they are asked to envision a pre-programmed ship with one seat, leaving them to consider not just technical skills but who would we want to represent human kind in this first interaction. They research, create resumes, write persuasive cover letters and are ultimately as

Well, there is no denying that this week sent me into the world of meteorology mania for the first time this year. I suddenly found myself at 4:15 a.m., cross-eyed and staring at weather websites, trying to make sense of what would happen during the morning commute. While this was no blizzard, it was a perfect storm nonetheless – a true Berwick Academy nightmare: snow on campus, rain on the coast, not too much in Massachusetts, and mucho snow in Manchester. Local districts revealed no clear pattern of cancellation, delay, or opening at the regular time.  There was nowhere to hide – no moving with the herd on this particular day for sure. After a long bleary conversation with the decision makers, we went with a truly inspirational and intellectual decision: the riveting two-hour delay. By 10 a.m., I was at my window reminding the sky that it was supposed to be raining by now. I was questioned by an employee at lunch why we were even here. All day long I watched our maintenance staf

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to travel with a few people from Berwick to the NAIS People of Color conference. If you are not aware, it is a gathering of independent school educators from around the country who come together to think about the challenges and opportunities in work supporting inclusivity and diversity. I had not been for a few years, and I was drawn to a number of the speakers – most notably a keynote address from Ta-Nehisi Coates. Interestingly, this conference has now grown larger than the traditional national industry conference, with over 6,000 people in attendance, 1500 of which were students. For me, there is really no other professional forum that affords one a chance to learn by leaning into discomfort in quite the same way. Each time I sit in a session at this gathering, I am aware of my minority status in the room, as it is so different from my daily life. I am also struck by the ways in which employees of color need these kinds of opportunities to n

I have always believed that, whether schools like it or not, there are two structures that are the clearest expression of one’s mission: budget and schedule. How a school chooses to spend its limited resources ultimately reveals what it thinks is most important. Similarly, how the community chooses to spend its time with students expresses what we believe to be most important in promoting virtue and useful knowledge to the rising generations. This week on campus, consultants have visited us from ISM (Independent School Management), who will try to help us unlock new possibilities in our usage of time as we work to implement Curriculum 2020 more completely. I should start by saying considering schedule change within a community like ours can be highly emotional and quite scary. The layers of complexity are endless when one tries to consider the demands on a PK-12 schedule. We have cross-divisional employees, part-time employees, academics, athletics, arts, wellness – all couched wi

Recently I was asked to present at a peer school’s board about our movement away from the AP program over time. More and more schools are looking for ways to offer something that surpasses public school curriculum that does not rely heavily upon multiple-choice tests as a central component of assessment. During the past five years, the most common reasons other independent school professionals either visit our campus or engage us via email is to inquire about Innovation Pursuits at Berwick. It’s typical that the first reaction or question is “oh, it’s like Independent Study.” My response is usually some form of “not exactly.” One compelling aspect of our IP program is that each year 45 – 60 students have to present their work publicly in late May. The process begins with an application that is reviewed, shaped, tweaked, and supported by Darcy Coffta and then vetted by a committee of faculty and staff. This structure and guidance really matters. Mentors are networked with students

Independent schools across the nation are working hard to demonstrate the value of elementary school tuition. This is true, to varying degrees, whether one’s school is in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, or South Berwick, ME. The trends are quite clear that as tuitions continue to climb, families are waiting longer to send their students to private schools out of concerns of affordability. This decision is inevitably coupled with the critical question of whether or not private school is “worth it” in comparison to local public school options. Berwick Academy is certainly not immune to this national trend, and we often wonder how we can best communicate what makes our Lower School so special to our internal and external audiences. This year, I find myself in the unique position of becoming a customer on the other side of this question, asking ourselves the very same questions as we move back closer to Boston next year: public or private? Is private worth it? It is also proba

As many of you may be aware we recently announced Berwick’s new residential program for boys beginning next fall. While the announcement has been met with many enthusiastic responses, we also have heard some concerns expressed by younger alumni about why Berwick was beginning with boys and not allowing girls to enjoy the new residential hall as well. Additionally, there have been questions about gender questioning students and whether or not they might be allowed in our new program. While it is challenging to receive these concerns, I have been struck by a sense of pride that we have a group of young alumni holding us accountable for our commitment to inclusivity and gender equity. These responses reminded me that our efforts in this area remain critical, and our alumni are entering a world now where these concerns are omnipresent within their own educational and professional lives. The reality is that our rationale for beginning with boys in our dorm was complex, and it struck me tha