Berwick Academy Head of School

            What an incredible week of heat on the Hilltop. I must say that as I struggled around campus having to wear sunscreen and a tie, I was so impressed by the positive attitude of teachers and students working through this surprising weather pattern. In particular, we know it can be intense in Fogg and in the Middle School, and yet every student I engaged about the topic was quick to smile and remind me we would not be complaining for long – extended summer was not all bad.             In the news this week, we learned of the scandal involving Rick Pitino and quite likely a huge swath of college athletic programs. The issue has apparently become so large that the FBI is in the middle of the conversation. As a former collegiate athlete and coach, it is so discouraging to observe when athletics become so out of whack with the missions of educational institutions. As w...

​ Today marks the start of alumni weekend, which is always a day when I can’t help but refl ect on the remarkable history of  our school. I kick off Saturday morning with the pumping music of Lower School field day, address our older alumni at the Hilltop luncheon, and generally reconnect with the younger alumni set in Portsmouth on Saturday night. One of the things I enjoy most about alumni weekend is the blurring of these  generational  boundaries  when  alumni from our public school  era  cross paths with our recent  alumni.  At times, we will see alumni  interact  with current parents watching athletic contests , and I  am struck by the sense of mutual respect and connection to  this school on the hilltop . ​ Alumni relations can be a tricky thing  to manage  for a Head of School, especially one that has a public school  era , a boarding school  era , and a day school era to juggle. There are...

As the first week of school draws to a close, it is exciting to have the HOS blog up and running once again. Today we formally kick off the school year with Convocation, Community Circles, and our PK-12 opening assembly. I plan to focus my comments a bit on gratitude, as this is certainly a year when the Schneiders are feeling grateful for all that Berwick Academy has done for our family. But I must say thinking about gratitude immediately whisks me into the national news and the wreckage generated by Hurricane Harvey - with Irma close behind. It is always a challenge for us to find the proper PK-12 response to these kinds of national events, but I know that Berwick will do so in the days ahead. Just yesterday, I heard from beloved 40 year Berwick teacher and old friend Jim Sullivan, who has relocated to Florida upon retiring from BA. In his email, he expressed his annual good wishes on the start of school while sharing sadness in knowing this would be my final year. Jim has alway...