Head of School Search

List of 2 items.

• Letter from AJ Houston and Tom Kempner, Search Committee Co-Chairs - July 17, 2020

  July 17, 2020
  
  Dear Parents, Faculty, Old Boys and Friends,
  
  As St. Bernard’s embarks on the quest for a new head of school, we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce the members of the Search Committee and share with you how the process will work.  The goal is to conduct an open and transparent search, one in which each of you can play a part.
  
  The Search Committee begins the process with what one of Mr. Mark Hauser’s budding classicists might call a tabula rasa, a blank slate that we will need your help to complete.  Once a search firm is retained in the next few weeks, it will begin canvassing parents, faculty, and Old Boys about their thoughts on the qualities for an ideal head of school.  This input will help to create the blueprint for the search.  We encourage you to think creatively and expansively. 
  
  As the search progresses, we plan on being as transparent as possible.  We will share our approach, our goals and our key developments through regular updates on the school website and through e-mails.  Obviously, we will not be able to share the names of candidates.
  
  At the outset it is important to mention that everyone on the committee treasures St. Bernard’s unique DNA and understands the intellectual grounding the boys derive from a traditional education.  We share a commitment to making sure that the school remains true to its past as it moves forward into the future.  If the events of 2020—be it a shift to remote learning caused by the COVID–19 pandemic or our nation grappling with continued systemic injustice—have taught us anything, it is that a leader of a boys’ school must be able to pick a point on the horizon, resist the crosswinds of academic fads, yet be open-minded enough to take decisive action when the world is changing in historic ways and the boys require new skills and resources to deal with these changes.
  
  To ensure that all voices are heard, the Search Committee’s members have been selected from all of our major constituencies: faculty, parents, past parents and Old Boys.  Andy Hagon and Oliver Bowcock, the heads of the Junior and Upper School, respectively, will be representing the faculty along with Chris Brady, a favorite teacher in the Middle School.  Together, these gentlemen embody 59 years of classroom experience at 4 East 98th Street.  They understand that when it comes to boys, character, integrity, and kindness are as important as intellectual accomplishment.  They know the importance of teaching boys to prize learning before grades, to take pleasure in helping others, and to do their very best with what they have.
  
  The committee will also benefit from the academic and administrative wisdom and experience of Bob Miness, the former Head of the Upper School and Secondary School Placement, as well as Kitty Gordan, who is a former parent, the current chair of the school’s Academic Committee and previously the 25 year Associate Head of School at Nightingale-Bamford, where she was a member of the faculty for 44 years.
  
  The committee will include parents from all three divisions: Junior School, Middle School, and Upper School.  They are Andrea DuBois, the mother of a first and seventh grader and the co-chair of the Parents Association’s Community Gathering Committee, Jennifer Rich, the parent of a third grader and the co-chair of the annual benefit three years running, Eugenie Goodman, the mother of a fifth grader and a member of the Nominating Committee of the Parents Association, and Erin Drouin, the outgoing President of the Parents Association and the mother of a sixth grader.  Rounding out this constituency will be another sixth grade parent, Andrew Solomon, a National Book Award-winning author, and an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, and the arts.  Their insights will be invaluable as they see the strengths of the school on a daily basis.
  
  In addition to the co-chairs of the committee, the interests of our Old Boys will be looked after by Antonio Weiss ’80, a past parent and former trustee, and John Brodie ’79, who is a former co-president of the Old Boys Council and a former trustee.
  
  Search Committee co-chair AJ Houston ’03 is a founding member of the Old Boys Diversity Council and serves on the Athletic, Diversity, and Investment Committees of the Board of Trustees.  After St. Bernard’s, he graduated from the Taft School and Dartmouth College where he played varsity football and majored in Classical Studies with a focus on Latin.  He works in Global Equity Trading at the Royal Bank of Canada and to this day credits John Demeny’s Mental Aerobics class with giving him numerous fun facts at his fingertips.  Or as he says, “I still can remember the names of the lions outside of the 42nd Street New York Public Library: Patience and Fortitude.”
  
  Fellow co-chair Tom Kempner is also an Old Boy, a former parent and a current St. Bernard’s grandparent.  Tom’s experience with the school began in 1959 in Mrs. Ashton’s first grade classroom, which was just to the left of what we today call the Small Gym.  By his own admission, he was “disorganized and unfocused,” and he credits his strong personal relationships with a few faculty members for teaching him intellectual curiosity and a love of learning.  Tom and his two sons believe that St. Bernard’s was the finest education they received in their entire academic careers.  Tom is committed to seeing that his grandson, currently a rising first grader, will concur with this sentiment. 
  
  Tom would come to serve as a trustee for 19 years, and be the Chairman of the Board from 2001 to 2007 during which time he worked closely with Stuart Johnson, and watched firsthand as Stuart improved the school with each passing year and became an icon in the process.  Outside of St. Bernard’s, Tom has presided over a number of important searches including those for the President of the Harvard Management Company and that for the President of the Central Park Conservancy, on whose board he serves as Chairman.
  
  We look forward to hearing from you and meeting with many of you—even if only via Zoom.  The next great head of St. Bernard’s may be someone of whom you are already aware, so please don’t hesitate to share your ideas.
   
  Sincerely,
   
  AJ Houston ’03
  Thomas L. Kempner ’67
  Co-chairs of the Search Committee
  
  Full List of Search Committee Members
  Search for Head of School Webpage
   
  
  

• Letter from Craig Huff, President of the Board of Trustees - July 8, 2020

  
  To Members of the St. Bernard’s Community:
  
  I am writing to give you an update on the primary activities that the Board is focused on this summer.  They are the following: (1) supporting Evan Moraitis and the faculty with school reopening preparations; (2) making substantive progress with respect to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging issues; (3) launching the search for the next Headmaster; and (4) commencing a governance review and board refreshment.
  
  School Reopening Preperations
  Evan and the faculty/staff (as well as several talented parent volunteers) are working hard to ensure that St. Bernard’s is ready to open in a safe and thoughtful manner this fall.  They are looking forward to having our boys back at 4 East 98th Street.  The Board is supporting their efforts and making sure the various committees (Health/Safety, Academics/Teaching, Technology/Organization, Building, and Schedules) have all of the resources that they need, both from an expertise and financial perspective.  Evan will be communicating specifics about the reopening plan in the coming weeks.
  
  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
  Recent tragic events have highlighted the importance of addressing racial inequality and inherent biases, and we have therefore intensified our focus on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.  The Board Diversity Committee, the Old Boys Diversity Council, and the Faculty and Staff Diversity Committee are in dialogue about how St. Bernard’s can make meaningful progress with respect to these important issues.  Specific recommendations will be shared with the Board later this month and communicated to the St. Bernard’s community shortly thereafter.
  
  Search Process
  The Headmaster search will be inclusive and seek input from the entire St. Bernard’s community.  A separate correspondence will provide details about the search committee and process, but I am very pleased that this committee will be co-chaired by two Old Boys: Tom Kempner ’67 and A.J. Houston ’03.  Tom is a past parent, a current grandparent, and was President of the Board of Trustees until twelve years ago.  A.J. has been a valuable member of the Board since 2012.  He is a member of the Diversity Committee, Investment Committee, chairs the Athletic Committee, and also serves on the Old Boys Diversity Council.  The search committee will reflect a cross-section of Old Boys, faculty, and parents.  The search committee is committed to selecting a Headmaster who fully appreciates how special, distinctive, and rigorous a St. Bernard’s education is, and who also understands its unique character.

   

  Governance Review/Board Refreshment
  As we embark on this important transition, it is also an ideal time to consider our school’s governance.  The Board has committed to undertake a review of the governance procedures and processes reflected in our by-laws, including Board composition (% Old Boys, % parents, etc.) and committee structures.  This review will be conducted by a committee which will include non-trustee parents and Old Boys with governance and legal expertise.  This committee will also utilize the services of a third-party governance expert.  Further details about this process will be provided later this month.  NYSAIS, our accrediting body, will also be reviewing our governance this year as part of our regular 5-year accreditation process.
  
  In addition, as part of the process of moving forward productively, the Board will be going through a refreshment process.  During the 2020-2021 school year, our intention is to refresh a significant percentage of the Board, including myself and several chairs of committees whose terms end.  The goal is to provide the community and the next Headmaster with a refreshed Board as St. Bernard’s starts its next chapter.
  
  You will receive further updates on these priorities over the next few weeks as we make progress on them.  Enjoy the rest of your summer - St. Bernard’s looks forward to welcoming you back in the fall.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Craig Huff
  President, Board of Trustees
  St. Bernard’s School