Berwick Academy Head of School

There is nothing like a blizzard to remind you of the unsung heroes at your school. While I am sure many of our parents did pause to think that moving all that snow on campus was going to be a challenge, there is always so much behind the scenes that people don’t know. For example, we found our meager staff of five cut down to three during the blizzard on account of illness this week. The trio of Richie Knowles, Paul Calo, and David Hamilton were nothing short of a force on this campus Tuesday and Wednesday. I have to imagine that while they were plowing all day long on Tuesday, they felt like a modern day version of Sisyphus and his stone. Every time they made a run with the plow, the snow would be blown back in. It was impossible to keep up, and yet they had to keep going so the campus could be accessible to emergency services if needed. When the storm cleared on Wednesday, the real work began. It takes a storm like this to appreciate fully every nook and cranny on the campus t...

Just a few days ago, I wandered into a class in Fogg for a Head of School “drive by,” where English department chair Meg Martinson was introducing Frankenstein to her students. Many months ago, I remember her mentioning to me at a lunch table how much she loved the book; she lit up as I walked in the door and invited me to grab a seat in the discussion. She told me that “I could not have chosen a better moment” for a visit. As a former English teacher myself, the discussion reminded me of how many gaps I have in my own reading: this was yet another classic novel I had yet to tackle. I had always assumed it would be dense and predictable somehow. Clearly Meg’s job in this particular class was to try to ground the students, as they had been assigned the first few pages in the book the night before. For those of you that have actually read it, you know that Mary Shelley chooses to structure the tale with a complex layering of narration – a female author employs a male narrator,...

This week I had the pleasure of taking my oldest daughter to a Berwick varsity swim meet. It was an amazing time for me to be alone with just one of my girls (a rare occurrence these days), and we talked about her dreams for the future. Already, she idolizes a number of the female swimmers on the team, and I find myself encouraging this. At the meet, she kept asking me questions about the individual swimmers, and I found myself feeling eager to talk about the blend of athleticism, work ethic, and character I know to be present on this team.   Sitting in the stands watching our swimmers power through the waters achieving victory after victory, I could think of no better role models for Kenna than the female leaders of that team. I wondered what it could be like for her, and for me, to see her wearing a Berwick swimming cap some day. About halfway through the meet, as I was using the roster to familiarize myself with the new swimmers, I was reminded once again of how normalize...

I am fond of saying there are two compelling responsibilities that are in the fine print of my Head of School contract: wearing a costume for the parade on Halloween and sitting in the dunk tank on Blue and White Day.  Those items were conveniently not highlighted on my search visit in 2007. However, as we came back to school this past Monday, I found myself with a new addition to the “fine print” list. While I don’t know if any pictures went viral on Instagram, I found myself physically pushing student cars up a slippery Fogg Hill on a tough Monday morning filled with black ice. Upper School Director Shiela Esten was by my side – in the fox hole with me as per usual. I must admit that it was not the way I wanted our return to school to start. I sent an email to our parent community with an apology for the condition of campus, and expected to field a few unhappy phone calls and emails throughout the day. Instead, two things happened. One parent emailed me to say the ...