Jerry Ward's Letters to Parents

Opening of School Letter, August 31, 2016

Dear Fenn Parents:
It’s hard to recall a summer with as much sunshine as the one we’ve enjoyed in New England these past few months. While the downsides of the almost endless number of blue sky days are brown lawns and a dip in the water table, I hope that all Fenn boys and their families enjoyed the opportunity for an especially active and vibrant summer vacation in such unusually fine weather. 

Reminding us that all good things must come to an end, the late August twilights now arrive earlier with meteor showers that follow, and the evenings and mornings grow cooler as Labor Day fast approaches, marking for school children, and certainly Fenn boys, the start of a new academic year. While autumn does not officially arrive for almost another month, the ideal of summer will soon be over as we ring the Meeting Hall bell and open the School House doors. 

Sad as they naturally may be to leave their carefree summer lives, Fenn boys will soon bask in the warmth generated by their Fenn friends and schoolmates and will collectively bring an energy to our campus which rivals the solar power that our sunny summer days generated. With Fenn’s classrooms, fields, and other facilities prepared and waiting, and our faculty and staff ready and willing, our school stands poised to greet our 329 Fenn boys with a special welcome to the 76 newly enrolling boys. Once we complete the rituals of school opening, including our first day advisor group meetings and All School Meeting—at which we will sing to the new boys a rousing rendition of “Consider Yourself” from the musical —boys and teachers will promptly settle into the rhythm of Fenn life and enter the brisk current of the new school year that will swiftly carry them down stream. 

As veteran readers know, my seasonal letters to parents, including this current communication, are more newsletter, by virtue of length and range of topics, than a more succinct letter focused on one topic or matter. To allow for parents to access more easily those sections of these letters in which they might be more interested than others, I will provide a set of links for each distinct topic section which will bring the reader directly to that subject. We hope that this new topical, link-based approach is more reader-friendly and time efficient for parents. Please feel free to provide your thoughts about the new format by sending me an email regarding this new approach. I’m always interested as well in considering any perspective you wish to share as parents on the topics covered.

THE OPENING DAYS OF SCHOOL SCHEDULE
INTRODUCING NEW FACULTY AND STAFF
NEW ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS
CURRICULAR AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS OF NOTE IN THIS NEW SCHOOL YEAR
CAMPUS UPDATES
THE SCHOOL YEAR AHEAD
THE PROMISE OF EACH BOY IN OUR NEW SCHOOL YEAR

The Opening Days of School Schedule
Parents will receive this week an email from Transportation Director Tory Hayes and Assistant Headmaster for Finance and Operations David Platt. The email will contain important details and schedule information regarding student pick-up by our bus and van companies, GO Boston Shuttle and Bedford Charter Service, and the Town of Concord buses that are available to students who are Concord residents.

As we look to the start of the 2016-2017 school year, the following dates and related activities are of note as we begin anew.  

Wednesday, September 7, at 3:30 p.m. — Orientation for New Families 
On Wednesday, September 7, at 3:30 p.m., new students and their parents will be welcomed in Ward Hall as members of the Fenn School community. Check-in/registration for this orientation begins at 3:00 p.m. Admissions Director Amy Jolly—joined by Associate Director of Admissions Tory Hayes ’02, Assistant Director of Admissions Jeff Trotsky ’06, Admissions Assistant Marilyn Schmalenberger, and other faculty—will literally open the doors of Fenn for them as they greet them at our Meeting Hall. The initial part of our afternoon orientation program for new boys and their parents will include welcoming remarks by Amy Jolly, Student President Ian Moore, Vice President Nico Bowden, and me. Our newly arrived boys will then leave with their assigned teacher-advisors to visit their classrooms, locate their assigned lockers, and become familiar with other key campus locations. Just as important, these boys will have the opportunity to meet each other as classmates as they start their Fenn careers together. During the time boys are with their advisors, Parents Association President Nicole Lippa will provide a welcome to new parents and an introduction to the Fenn Parents Association’s work and opportunities, and I will offer remarks for new parents. Following this brief session, the school division heads—Nat Carr ’97 of the Lower School, Tricia McCarthy of the Middle School, and Derek Boonisar of the Upper School—in separate sessions will brief new parents in their respective divisions and address all parent questions about any matters of interest, large or small.  

An informal lemonade social will close out the orientation, which will end around 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 8 
Assisted by our ninth-grade student leaders, a team of faculty and administrators will greet at curbside all arriving students, new and continuing, in the pick-up/drop-off area (in front of the Connolly Dining Hall and adjacent to our campus green) to guide boys to their assigned advisor locations to begin their first day. Any boy who needs a guide to find his advisor’s location will be assisted by one of our ninth grade leaders. As with all school days throughout the year, students should arrive around 8:00 a.m. to settle into their homerooms by the start of the day at 8:15 a.m. Advisor meetings, our opening All School Meeting, and an abbreviated class schedule will follow. 

As usual, parents must use the north entrance drive beyond Carr Road to enter the campus and follow the established route for student drop-off as directed by Fenn staff members. The first day of school will be a full day with dismissal for the Lower and Middle School students at 3:50 p.m. and for the Upper School students at 4:50 p.m.  Arriving closer to 4:00 p.m. for Lower and Middle School division pick-up, and closer to 5:00 p.m. for Upper School division pick-up, will allow parents to spend less waiting time in the queue. 

The Extended Day Program will not be available on Thursday, September 8, but instead will begin on Friday, September 9. Families must make arrangements to pick up their sons at the scheduled dismissal time on Thursday.

Friday, September 9
School will be in full session all day on Friday for all students.

The Extended Day Program will be available in the morning and afternoon on Friday and will continue through the school year. Regular dismissal times will occur in all divisions. Lower School and Middle School students should be picked up by parents at 3:50 p.m. Upper School students should be picked up at 4:50 p.m. Again, a reminder that arriving closer to 4:00 p.m. for Lower and Middle School division pick-up, and closer to 5:00 p.m. for Upper School division pick-up, will allow parents to spend less waiting time in the queue. 

Monday, September 12
While all Lower School and Middle School boys will follow their regular class schedules on this day, settling into the rhythm of the school year, eighth and ninth grade boys comprising Fenn’s Upper School will head off campus for their three-day/two-night class trips that will forge stronger class connections for the leader classes of Fenn and focus each class member on his respective individual goals for the year. Upper School Head Derek Boonisar has previously provided to parents and students the necessary detailed information about the class trips.  Back to the top

Introducing New Faculty and Staff 
As we enter this new school year, it’s my pleasure to introduce the new teachers and staff members joining us at Fenn and note some new administrative positions being assumed.

Shannon Banatt, who has for the past several years served as a Learning Specialist at Fenn, will teach science in our Upper School this year. Beyond her Fenn experience, Shannon, who holds both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts, has taught in a charter and public school in Boston.

Rosalie Norris joins Fenn as our new Drama Coordinator who will teach across all grade levels and direct our many Fenn theater productions. Holding a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emerson College and a Master in Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Rosalie has taught theater in independent and public schools in Boston and designed middle school interdisciplinary curricula at Project Zero at Harvard University. 

Tricia Writer comes to Fenn to teach in the Intensive Literacy Program with extensive teaching experience at Buckingham Browne & Nichols, Carroll School, and Neskowin Valley School in Oregon. A veteran soccer coach and athlete, Tricia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Occidental College and a Master in Teaching degree from Tufts University. 

Tina Gorski-Strong has joined the staff of the Advancement Office at Fenn in the newly created position of Campaign Manager as Fenn prepares for its upcoming capital fundraising. With extensive background in leadership administrative positions at independent schools and colleges, including most recently as Senior Advancement Officer and Director of Alumni Relations at The Wheeler School, Tina holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  

Courtney Lander Mongell now serves as Director of Communications at Fenn, joining our Advancement Office staff with communications experience in university, independent schools, and non-profit organizations, most recently as Communications Associate at The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Courtney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College and a Master of Communication degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Tim Winters joined Fenn’s Buildings and Grounds staff this summer, bringing to Fenn much experience in building maintenance and grounds work. Tim is a graduate of Montachusett Technical High School and has training as well in plumbing. Back to the top

New Administrative Appointments
Nat Carr ’97, who has served on Fenn’s faculty since 2004 in several capacities, including as a teacher in the Lower School for six years and more recently as Director of Secondary School Placement for the past six years, will now redirect his administrative efforts to serving as Head of the Lower School at Fenn. With his in-depth knowledge of Fenn and Lower School boys and his strong connection with Fenn faculty, Nat brings a rich combination of talents and experience to his leadership work.  

David Irwin returns to Fenn after five years to teach in the English and Social Studies programs and to serve as Co-Director of Secondary School Counseling. Holding a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College and a Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, David most recently served as Director of Student Life at the Cardigan Mountain School, where he also taught history, coached, and advised. With his extensive background in admissions, having served as Associate Director of Admission at Deerfield Academy, David will bring an in-depth knowledge in guiding Fenn boys and their parents through the secondary school counseling process. In addition, David will serve as Interim English Department Chair during this current academic year as Fenn conducts a search for a permanent Chair. Having taught English at Fenn and Deerfield Academy, David brings excellent knowledge, experience, and skills to this one-year role.  

Gisela Hernandez-Skayne, who has served as Associate Director of Secondary School Placement at Fenn for the past six years, will now partner with David Irwin as Co-Director of Secondary School Counseling. Gisela has offered excellent guidance to hundreds of Fenn families in her placement work to date and will continue to do so in this newly restructured and renamed office, the title of which more closely reflects the essence of the service provided to families. 

We’re pleased and fortunate to have the talented and dedicated teachers and staff members noted above investing themselves in support of Fenn’s mission. We look forward to the many rich contributions that each of them will make to the Fenn community and to the education of Fenn boys. Back to the top

Curricular and Professional Developments of Note in This New School Year
As always, the summer months have provided opportunities for our teachers to further their own development as educators, supported in part by the generous funding of the Parents Association. Below are some highlights of our teacher’s summer work.

Faculty Professional Development

• Science teacher and Service Learning Coordinator Michelle Heaton presented a research paper at the annual conference of the International Boys Schools Coalition, which this year convened in Vancouver, B.C. Michelle’s work, the focus of which was “Boys As Global Citizens,” was based in her year-long classroom engagement and research project with Fenn boys. Her report received the highest praise and recognition from the IBSC for its superlative quality.  

• Fenn teachers Cameren Cousins and David Duane returned to China to teach at the Wahaha Bilingual School’s Summer International Program as they did last summer as well. Our Fenn faculty members bring an inquiry-based, student-centered approach to teaching that is innovative in the context of Chinese education. Their summer work sustains the connection with this school in China that Fenn established almost two years ago when a team from China visited Fenn to observe the teaching in our classrooms.  

• Fourth grade Social Studies teacher Winnie Smith traveled to Alaska to attend an intensive workshop focused on incorporating the Iditarod, the celebrated Alaskan long distance dog sled race, into the social studies curriculum, which has in recent years been a practice of Winnie in her classroom.

• Lower School teachers Kristin FitzGerald, Brendon Bates, Liz Wei, and Jon Byrd ’76 engaged a Developmental Design Workshop to enhance their knowledge and skills in design thinking which they will bring to their teaching of boys in the Lower School. 

• Middle School advisor and teacher Jenn Youk See attended the well-known and highly regarded King Counseling Institute, following many Fenn faculty across the years, to engage in depth the skills and techniques that independent school educators bring to bear as empathetic advisors of their students. 

• Science teacher and Design Thinking Coordinator Pauline MacLellan invested herself in a summer workshop offered by the Problem Based Learning Institute that fosters active, inquiry-based, open-ended student learning and innovative teaching to complement her science teaching, MakerSpace work, and ongoing professional development work with the Fenn faculty.   

Curriculum Development
Curriculum grants enabled teachers to pursue new and innovative territory for Fenn’s educational program this summer, which included:

• Lower School teachers Liz Wei and Kristin FitzGerald’s developing a unit on “Exploring Identity Through Literature and Writing”

• Social Studies Chair John Sharon and Library Director Sam Kane’s conducting a research scope and sequence project for Social Studies

• Latin teacher Cameren Cousins’ creation of an archeology unit employing artifacts and physical evidence to enhance students’ understanding of cultures unknown to them

• English teacher Rob Morrison’s collaborating with colleagues in English and Social Studies to develop an interdisciplinary project based on Andy Weir’s book The Martian  

• Librarians Sam Kane and Lisa Francine’s working together on a project titled Beyond the Walls: A Virtual Library Project that will enhance on-line access to library materials for our students and teachers

• Director of Technology Jeff LaPlante’s collaborating with four other faculty members to develop an iPad orientation program for Fenn’s sixth grade students to be implemented this year

Back to the top 

Campus Updates
In getting ready to welcome students and faculty back for the new school year, our work this summer has involved preparing the campus, as always.  As a result of the efforts of our Buildings and Grounds staff, the facilities supporting our educational program are in excellent shape as we look forward to the start of school. The following related developments are of note:

• Fenn’s campus and buildings were fortunately spared any damage from the tornado that touched down about a mile to our southeast a week or so ago. Our support and care go out to those Concord families who suffered damage to their homes and neighborhoods.

• The MakerSpace facility that scores of Fenn boys use throughout the school year in classes, before and after school, and during recess doubled in size this summer as the footprint of the space expanded to a second adjacent room that was once a science lab predating the new science center. The added space will allow for better working conditions and equipment for Fenn boys in their design and engineering endeavors. The new space whets our appetite for the MakerSpace that Fenn aspires to construct as an upcoming capital project that will be supported as one component of the approaching capital fundraising campaign.

• The entrance drive to Fenn, which serves as the thoroughfare for campus visitors and for parents during drop-off and pick-up, will soon be known as Adams Way following a planned naming ceremony this fall. Adams Way will honor trustee Jeff Adams, father of five Fenn alumni, who has served on the Fenn Board of Trustees for twenty-three years and chaired its Buildings and Grounds Committee for much of that time. The Fenn campus significantly reflects Jeff’s tireless and expert efforts, as he has led the school in all of our building and renovation projects for almost a quarter of a century, for which we are deeply grateful. 

• The generous Jafari Family, whose sons attended Fenn in recent time and who philanthropically supported our school as leaders in our most recent capital campaign, have relocated to the West Coast. Given their physical distance from the school, the family has ceded the permanent naming of the school’s Library. It is their hope, and ours, that an interested benefactor will step forward in the next capital campaign to similarly support the school with a naming gift for this most important academic resource.      

Back to the top

The School Year Ahead
The National Presidential Election 
As we enter this fresh academic year at Fenn, the larger endeavor of the presidential campaign and election is occurring as our country selects its next president. The importance of the process and choice will very much be on our minds as a school community during the coming two months of vigorous and high profile campaigning, including presidential and vice presidential debates. In every presidential election year, Fenn has engaged students in their Social Studies classes and has conducted an all- school mock election at the time the national election occurs at the beginning of November. We will do so again this year. Through this process, Fenn boys will study issues and platforms and discuss and debate the merits of the respective candidates. 

Reflecting essential political party differences on many public policy issues, our classroom discussions and presentations at All School Meeting in every presidential election year have been substantive, dynamic, and sometimes passionate. We expect that this will be true this year as well in a presidential race that has stirred strong opinions and debate about policy issues and the leadership merits of the respective candidates.  Be assured as parents that as educators we will strive to offer fair and dispassionate guidance and maintain standards of civil and respectful conduct and debate as our Fenn students in and outside the classroom follow and discuss developments in the campaign. Along with educating boys about the purpose and function of the Electoral College system, this year we will place added non-partisan emphasis on the nature of political civility in a democracy and focus on our country’s history across presidential elections, noting instances of success and failure on those measures. 

Our fundamental goal overall is to engage Fenn boys as active and interested citizens of the country and to develop their interest and knowledge in political and civic matters as eventual voters. We’ll strive to do so in substantive and even-handed ways to advance their knowledge and critical thinking about national and international issues and their understanding of the demands of presidential leadership.

Fenn’s Self-Study in Preparation for Re-accreditation by the Association of Independent Schools in New England 
The Fenn School has for decades been accredited as a school by the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), having met the established and rigorous standards of being true to our school’s mission and maintaining the strength of our educational program and the soundness of our financial, administrative, governance, communication, and safety policies and practices.  

As an initial and prescribed step in the re-accreditation process that occurs on a ten-year cycle, Fenn in this 2016-2017 academic year will undertake the process of the AISNE Self-Study that will engage faculty, administrators, staff, trustees, alumni, and, to some degree, parents and students in an assessment in detail of virtually all of the dimensions of school life noted above. The Self-Study process is inherently thorough and time-consuming, but it provides invaluable perspective and self-knowledge as a school as it will draw Fenn to reflect on the AISNE standards of best practice and the degree to which we succeed in meeting our mission. When completed by the end of the school year, the Self-Study will produce a document of approximately 150 pages or more which will be complemented by related documents such as the curriculum guide and documentation, the Student and Parent Handbook, admissions materials, as well as financial and governance materials. The Self-Study document will then be submitted next summer to AISNE in preparation for the scheduled arrival of the Association’s Visiting Team in early November 2017. The Visiting Team and the AISNE Membership Committee will subsequently make a recommendation to the board of directors of AISNE regarding Fenn’s re-accreditation, which will be officially reviewed and determined by the AISNE board in January 2018.   

We have great confidence that Fenn is well positioned for a successful Self-Study this year and re-accreditation process in the following year. Most importantly, our faculty, staff, and trustees look forward to the invaluable assessment, self-reflection, and insights that we will gain from the re-accreditation process to ensure Fenn’s continued strength as a school dedicated to our mission of educating boys to the fullest measure in their elementary and middle school years. Back to the top

The Promise of Each Boy in Our New School Year
As our new and returning boys arrive on campus next week to bring Fenn to life, I am once again struck by the rich opportunities that the school year holds for each boy’s growth. There will certainly be personal triumphs for every boy, some public and some private, and, no doubt, there will be disappointments and challenges along the way. But transcending the particulars of each boy’s year will be the larger arc of his discovery of his talents and his growth into an accomplished and well-grounded young man.

Our abiding hope and aspiration this year, as always, are to foster every boy’s maturation and development so that he leaves Fenn with healthy confidence, a sturdy character, and an education that will endure and serve him well in life. This year holds so many rich possibilities for your sons to emerge on their own terms, nurtured and guided by us at Fenn, and secure in your unshakeable support and love as parents.  

We look forward to welcoming your sons to this promising new year. I thank you for your inspiring faith in us as educators. We will make every effort to be worthy of it.

Sincerely,

Jerry Ward
Headmaster