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The Fessenden School – Head of School – Position Statement
MISSION
The Fessenden School’s mission
is to teach, nurture and celebrate
growing boys; cultivating each
student’s individual potential and
developing in balance his mind,
character, heart and body in an
inclusive and joyful community
that, through rigor, friendship,
and service, reflects Fessenden’s
traditional values of honesty,
compassion and respect.
OVERVIEW
Fessenden was founded in 1903 and
is the oldest junior boys’ boarding
school in the country. Today the
school enrolls 525 boys in grades
PK–9 with just over 100 boarders in
grades 5–9. Located in West Newton
just a few miles from downtown
Boston, the school enjoys a strong
and well-deserved reputation for
building character, for a unique and
stimulating approach to boys’
education, and for outstanding preparation
for secondary schools, both boarding and
day.
The school is in excellent shape in every
way. The campus is nothing short of
spectacular with first-rate academic space,
a wonderful new Center for Innovation,
three gymnasia, a hockey rink, two new turf
fields and several grass fields, two outdoor
pools, multiple tennis courts, renovated
dormitories and housing for residential
faculty, and a wonderful house for the head
of school. There is not an elementary/
middle school in the country with better
facilities. The finances are strong, the
budget balanced, enrollment solid, and the
school enjoys strong parental support —
$1.8 million in annual giving — and a nearly
$50 million-dollar endowment.
As an all-boys’ junior boarding school with
a coat and tie dress code, Fessenden
gives the appearance of a traditional
school where you might expect a
conventional program. You have to be on
the campus for only a few moments to
realize that, while the trappings honor the
school’s rich history, the program is
anything but traditional. The school has
whole-heartedly embraced project-based
learning. It is rare to see a “sage on the
stage” model in any classroom. The boys
are actively engaged in their own learning
in productive and exciting ways all
through the grades. The traditions at the
school are powerful and they complement
a program that embraces 21 st century
learning.
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