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The Fessenden School – Head of School – Position Statement
Parents
Parents in the area enjoy the option of
strong public schools and a wide range of
excellent independent school choices. So
those who choose Fessenden do so
because they are impressed with the
program and with the advantages it affords
their sons. The conversion rate for
prospective parents who enroll their sons
after visiting is very impressive. They are
involved in an active Parents’ Association
that runs a variety of events and programs.
Parents are encouraged to stay for Morning
Meeting and are often seen on campus.
Faculty
The Fessenden faculty is superb. It is
composed of a healthy mix of highly
experienced veterans, mid-career
teachers and younger up-and-comers. All
are able to articulate the reason that they
have come to the school and enjoy
working there—they are committed to the
school’s mission of educating boys in
ways that are uniquely appropriate. In the
past few years, the school has been very
generous with professional development
funds and opportunities. This policy was
in keeping with the changes afoot and
the shift from a relatively traditional
curriculum to one that is much more
modern and engaging. Loyalty to the
school among the faculty is impressive.
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Administration
David Stettler, the outgoing head, has
done a masterful job of attracting and
retaining a high quality administrative
team. Part of that effort has been to put
the right people in the right positions and
he has been superb in finding and
deploying talent. The administration is
large—too numerous to list here—and
effective with clear yet decentralized
lines of authority. People know what their
roles are and attend to those roles with
enthusiasm and effectiveness. The next
head will find that he/she has a great
deal of support surrounding him/her and
will have a team that is very loyal to the
school and its mission.
Board
The Fessenden board consists of 24 voting
members and three ex officio members,
including the head of school. Five of the
current board members are alumni. The
Fessenden board has been very well led
over the years and knows the difference
between governance and operations. It
respects the boundaries that exist between
the administration and the board, and is
used to enjoying a high degree of trust and
confidence in the head and his
administration. The board has been
generous to the school in every way.