Berwick Academy Head of School

The days of January and February can be tough ones at independent schools. Daylight is scarce, coursework is in full stride, and spring break in nowhere in sight. For me, it is a busy nexus of admissions, employment contracts, and a new budget cycle: I feel like I am working hard. But all of that seems insignificant in comparison to the daily experience of our six-member maintenance crew during these winter months. From Left: Paul Calo, Richie Knowles, Kathy Keefe, Dan Bresnahan, David Hamilton Even before we get to actual snow days, I am amazed by the amount of mornings they are here scraping ice, throwing salt, and shoveling snow. There are no days off for these people in the winter months. They are here on weekends checking boilers and pipes to make sure things are working for Monday. They deal with faulty fire alarms in the middle of the night and rescue the Head of School when he locks his keys in his house. On days when it actually does snow, it is not uncommon for them...

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of traveling to Waterville, Maine to meet with the relatively new President of Colby College, David Greene. I went to Colby seeking a graduation speaker, a goal which I am excited to share has materialized for the class of 2017. David seemed incredibly eager to come to the oldest school in Maine and connect with our graduates regarding what lies ahead for them in higher education and beyond. I am happy to say that, in this conversation, I found so much more than a graduation speaker. Learning of David’s ambitious agenda for Colby College resonated deeply with many of my parallel dreams for Berwick Academy. David envisions a day when Colby is known not merely as another strong liberal arts school in Maine but as a true national leader in the world of higher education. Without question, he is raising the sights and dreams of that institution to define itself in new ways, strengthen its admission profile, and build financial resources in a way th...

Last night we celebrated as an employee community. Each January, we come together as faculty and staff to share a meal with our trustees and honor great teaching and other work at Berwick. We honored ten year and twenty-five year employees and heard from our Teacher of the Year from 2016. Given that this happens to be my tenth year as well, it was a particularly powerful night to reflect upon all that is special about Berwick Academy. I was struck once again by the exceptional people who make Berwick what it is today. Thirty-seven year maintenance staff member Paul Calo spoke to the pride he takes in making sure jobs are truly “finished” on his watch. While he admitted that not everyone here would know if he offered this level of care, it mattered to him as this was now “his world.” Polly Davie spoke about the key ingredients of fabulous teaching: 1) Loving your subject and 2) Loving children. The simplicity was powerful. Seeing pictures of Berwick Academy twenty and thirty year...