SEATTLE ACADEMY

SEATTLE ACADEMYSeattle, Washington

ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOLFOR STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Start Date: July 2022seattleacademy.org

OVERVIEW

Seattle Academy is a vibrant, innovative, and energetic independent school serving 6th through 12th grade students on an urban Capitol Hill campus setting in Seattle, Washington. Families choose Seattle Academy (also known as SAAS) because it is a place that, above all else, strives to embrace and honor each and every community member. To know SAAS is to know that its students and faculty have varying interests, capabilities, and learning styles; and these differences aren’t just accommodated at SAAS – they’re celebrated.

Deep and authentic interpersonal relationships provide the foundation for teaching, learning, and life at SAAS. Faculty and staff offer each student tailored support and challenges that propel them along a path to become active citizens and conscientious leaders. Mentoring and coaching relationships are intentionally flexible and layered, so that any student may seek and receive guidance from numerous adults at SAAS. To that end, the diverse SAAS faculty is exceptionally qualified – with incredible academic accomplishments and rich life experiences – and carries inspired passion for their disciplines. Each faculty member incorporates the SAAS mission and guiding principles (Culture of Performance, College and Life, Know the Kid, and Inclusive Community) into their daily lessons and interactions. They also model a growth mindset for their students, as well as a sense of humor. SAAS is about serious learning and finding joy in that process.

Seattle Academy seeks a new Assistant Head of School for Student Experience. Strong candidates will be compassionate individuals, who have a gift for communication and connection with people. Strong candidates will also understand the ways in which what happens in the classroom directly impacts what happens outside of the classroom and vice versa. Finally, the new Assistant Head will be prepared to act as a positive role model for a heterogenous population of students by embracing diversity, facilitating tough conversations, and problem-solving with creativity and innovation.

Mission StatementSeattle Academy is a dynamic community that challenges students to question, imagine, and create in order to contribute boldly to a changing world.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 2

THE SCHOOL

Seattle Academy was founded in 1983 by a courageous group of trustees, faculty, and parents who were inspired to start a new school designed to provide a unique academic program to prepare students for college and life. In that initial year, 72 students joined the Seattle Academy founders in laying the foundation and taking the first steps towards the dynamic and impactful SAAS community that exists today.

The SAAS core educational philosophy of teaching students “how to think” but not “what to think” is delivered through the programmatic pillars of Academics, Arts, Athletics, Outdoor and Travel, and Service. Within the SAAS program, students represent a variety of educational experiences, as well as diverse ethnic, socio-economic, gender, and cultural backgrounds. SAAS students also have varying interests, capabilities, and learning styles, which are supported by their faculty, advisors, grade coordinators, counselors, and robust Learning Support teams. The Seattle Academy drive to Know the Kid means that each student is seen as an individual and is supported uniquely through their SAAS experience.

The school thrives because of supportive relationships between and among students and teachers, as well as among faculty, administrators, and parents. These relationships are the direct result of social interactions that are anchored in the SAAS core values of Trust, Respect, Integrity, and Responsibility. Accordingly, each member of the SAAS community knows that in order to participate in and build an Inclusive Community, they must embrace cultural agility, civic action, and a broad definition of human potential. Seattle Academy is committed to nurturing empathetic connections between people with different life experiences. It is a place that strives to see, hear, and value all members of the community and work to build a strong foundation for meaningful dialogue, informed advocacy, and effective action.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 3

At a GlanceFounded: 1983

Total Students: 1,069

Students in Middle School: 390

Students in Upper School: 680

Student/Teacher Ratio: 8:1

Median Class Size: 17 (MS); 15 (US)

Access to financial aid: 24% of families received aid in 2020-21

Seattle Academy is an active participant in the urban community of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. SAAS students are enriched by the diversity, social engagement, and real-life experience of navigating through a bustling, evolving neighborhood. Its location purposefully aligns with its mission to prepare kids for College and Life. A virtual tour is available here.

SAAS is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) and is approved by the Office of Superintendent Public Instruction to operate as a private school in the state of Washington.

ACADEMICS

Seattle Academy’s guiding principle of preparing students for College and Life shapes an academic program that pairs traditional areas of study with innovative curricula, projects, and performances. Across classrooms, students take an inquiry-based approach to learning, allowing questions to drive both teacher-led and student-led investigations. Within this context, the guiding principle of Culture of Performance develops a spirit of investigation and engagement that results in an empathy for the human condition, an understanding of the meaning of excellence, and an opportunity to achieve success on multiple metrics. This method of teaching and learning naturally facilitates the development of a range of key skills.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 4

In Middle School, the curriculum engages students through the application of habits of mind, habits of action, and skills in the pursuit of solving real-world problems. These applications, paired with rich opportunities for exposure to arts, athletics, technology, trips, and participation as a member of a community, are vital in serving students and the SAAS mission. Students take courses in English, history/social studies, math, science, world language, the arts, and physical education, as well as electives. As part of the Innovations Distribution requirements, students pursue the study of Computational Thinking, Entrepreneurship and Design, and Financial Literacy. Ultimately, the philosophy of the Middle School aims to do four primary things: Conduct learning in a Culture of Performance, educate students with a timeless and contemporary curriculum build strong and trusting relationships, and facilitate character development.

Students in Upper School follow a similar course of study with coursework that becomes appropriately more challenging. Many honors courses are available at this level. Juniors and seniors may pursue Independent Study courses in an area in which the student has a special interest, developing a contract with an instructor and agreeing to a time commitment. As part of preparing students for College and Life, the Senior Project Program is a culminating experience at SAAS, providing career-exploring opportunities for students in order to obtain real-life employment experience. Senior Projects are six week non-paid educational internships . Seattle Academy also has a graduation requirement of 160 service-learning hours. This solidifies the practices of connection and awareness prevalent in the overall mission and program.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 5

Through College Advising, faculty and staff leverage their unique knowledge of each student to support them (and their families) through a complex – yet rewarding – college selection process. As a result, typically 100% of Seattle Academy’s applicants gain admission to college. Not only do these colleges include the nation’s and the world’s most selective, these varied best-match colleges reflect the talented, eclectic, and diverse composition of the student body.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 6

College MatriculationThe following is a list of select colleges and universities that Seattle Academy students have chosen to attend over the last five years:

Amherst CollegeBates CollegeBoston UniversityBowdoin CollegeBrown UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityClaremont McKenna CollegeColgate UniversityColorado CollegeColumbia UniversityCornell UniversityDartmouth CollegeDavidson CollegeDuke UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgia Institute of TechnologyHarvard CollegeHoward UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityMiddlebury CollegeNew York UniversityOberlin CollegePomona CollegePrinceton UniversityProvidence CollegeRensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRhode Island School of DesignStanford UniversitySwarthmore CollegeTufts UniversityUnited States Air Force AcademyUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of VirginiaUniversity of WisconsinVanderbilt UniversityWake Forest UniversityWilliams CollegeYale University

THE ARTS

The arts department – consisting of dance, music, theatre, and visual and media arts – believes that all students are intrinsically creative, and its goal is to foster an environment and curriculum that develop that creativity. Through instruction that integrates learning across all departments, the arts department champions the school’s Culture of Performance and teaches the skills and mindsets that prepare students to confidently approach and creatively solve the complex problems of today’s world. Each arts area has many classes that are available to all students. Each area also has an “audition track” for students who want to make a more focused commitment to skill and repertoire development through practice and study in the art form.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 7

ATHLETICS

As one of the pillars at Seattle Academy, athletics are an integral part of the student experience. Lifelong lessons are learned through SAAS athletics, such as sportsmanship, teamwork, the benefits of hard work, and gracefully navigating both winning and losing.

Seattle Academy’s inclusive athletics program develops athletic skill in a natural and individualized progression, which allows athletes of all levels to participate fully. There is a no-cut participation policy, meaning that while the varsity program is well established in the area, a range of additional participation levels ensures no student is turned away because they lack experience or ability. SAAS also has top-level teams that win state championships. The program’s emphasis on both participation and excellence builds an inclusive community and helps teach the school’s Core Values. This ethos, along with an impressive variety of sports offered each season, provides a wide range of opportunities and competitive levels in both the Middle and Upper School programs. Sports include cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, golf, lacrosse, tennis, track and field, ultimate frisbee, and wrestling.

Seattle Academy is a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association member school that competes in the Emerald Sound Conference at the Sea-King District 1A level.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 8

SCHOOL LIFE

Life at Seattle Academy is all about a vibrant community of students pushing themselves in areas of interest, trying new things, taking risks, and building meaningful relationships. SAAS is home to young leaders, students creating and joining clubs, students going on trips they had never imagined going on, students finding a passion in service, and so much more. The school consistently aims to provide an atmosphere that cultivates well-rounded, engaged students, and that embraces each student for both who they are and who they hope to be.

For many, the club program is a place to share passions and dive into a particular interest. For others, the club program simply provides a space where they can create new bonds and be a part of something. Clubs are typically divided by division and cover light-hearted topics, such as Harry Potter and kickball, as well as complex social justice issues, such as juvenile detention and mental health. Clubs also overlap with SAAS’s beloved academic teams, including Debate, Ethics Bowl, Mock Trial, Robotics, Speech, Underwater Robotics, and Youth Legislature. On these teams, success is considered the growth of every member in an environment where each individual victory is enjoyed by all.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 9

The mission of the Seattle Academy Outdoor/Travel Program is to promote trips that can lead to significant growth for the individual. The program provides opportunities for students to deepen relationships with other members of the community and develop a responsible understanding about cultures, people, and lands through which they travel. It incorporates outdoor/wilderness travel, cultural immersion, language immersion, and service. Middle School travel opportunities are more limited, but by the time students reach Upper School they have the chance to explore the entire world with destinations from Costa Rica to Vietnam to Zambia.

The SAAS Core Values of Trust, Respect, Integrity, and Responsibility help to prepare students to become productive contributors in a changing world. This includes hands-on service coupled with personal reflection to help students to become life-long contributors. Notably, the SAAS approach to serving always starts with seeking the community perspective regarding the need. No matter the service setting, SAAS students learn to listen and engage in a dialogue with community members about their needs and how to meet those needs effectively.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 10

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Seattle has been among the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country for the last decade. Long revered for its exceptional vistas and accessibility to mountains, forests, fresh-water lakes, and Puget Sound (a glacial fjord off the Pacific Ocean), the city is unique in the U.S. Some of the best innovations in the corporate world, medicine, the arts, and more have happened in Seattle.

Whether it is the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, the invention of the artificial kidney, one of the leading trauma centers in the country at Harborview Hospital, or the tentacles radiating from the University of Washington Medical School and Hospital—both among the top in the country—research and medicine have found a supportive home in Seattle.

In the corporate world, it is no accident that companies from Boeing to Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon, REI, Nordstrom, Expedia, and more call Seattle home. Tech giants such as Google and Facebook have substantial presences and the area is known as a hotbed of technology.

Seattle is home to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—the world’s largest philanthropy—and the area has long been known as one of the most generous and charitable in the country. For years, the local United Way campaign was #1 in the U.S.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 11

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 12

In addition to a being an outdoor adventure heaven, Seattle hosts a vibrant professional sports scene animated by impassioned fans. Football enthusiasts at Lumen Field set a World Record for loudest crowd roar during a 2013 Seattle Seahawks game. Loyal soccer supporters chant, sing, and cheer throughout Sounders FC and Reign FC matches. Baseball fans love the classic ballpark atmosphere during Seattle Mariners games. Basketball buffs revel in the action as the four-time WNBA Champion-winning Seattle Storm take to the court. And even before they had a single face-off, fans have embraced the Seattle Kraken, who joined the NHL this season. Along with its major professional sports, Seattle also enjoys a variety of collegiate sports at the University of Washington, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University and Washington State University.

Sports are matched by a dynamic arts scene including the Seattle Symphony, Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Tony-award-winning Seattle Repertory Theater, and dozens other performing arts organizations. The Seattle Art Museum and the Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Popular Culture are but a few of the countless museums and other cultural amenities.

Seattle is as alive and vibrant and diverse as any great city. It is said that zip code 98118 is the most diverse in the country. Seattle is a community of communities with strong Pacific Rim connections, and countless cultural festivals and events.

Seattle is a dynamic, urban city surrounded by unmatched natural beauty, just waiting to be explored. With everything from an unrivaled arts scene to world-class attractions to major sports teams to thriving culinary offerings, Seattle is a top location for work and play.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

SAAS’s mission – which includes an abiding belief in giving as many feasible opportunities to students in both curricular and co-curricular offerings – has resonated with the families it has served for several decades, and clearly led to enrollment growth, . With that growth has come an ability to do more with program and be intentional in its desire to design programs that allow for a “whole student” approach. SAAS is a dynamic, fast-paced environment, which values engagement and inquiry, and the school now seeks an Assistant Head to lead it to new heights in terms of the overall student experience.

The Assistant Head for Student Experience at SAAS – a newly envisioned role at the school – will oversee the school’s DEIB leadership, its Trip/Outdoor Programs, its community programs/partnerships, its athletic programs, and other programs which constitute the school’s co-curricular offerings for students. The Assistant Head will partner prominently with the school’s Assistant Head for Academics, who holds a parallel role overseeing the school’s core academic offerings (and who oversees the school’s division heads, deans, and department chairs). There will be ample opportunities for partnerships and “dotted lines” when it comes to the school’s advisory programming, counseling services, and the like, all in the name of taking a “big picture” view on the overall student experience at SAAS. The school seeks someone who will understand SAAS first, and who will then look to collaborate and think creatively about culturally consistent ways in which SAAS can evolve and improve.

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 13

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 14

DESIRED QUALITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

To excel in this role, SAAS’s Assistant Head for Student Experience should possess:• Experience building and/or sustaining co-curricular programs• Experience managing/supervising staff• Strong commitment to and experience in advancing DEIB objectives• Sincere interest in connecting with students and elevating student voice• An ability to “toggle” between the forest and the trees – i.e., to think strategically and effectively work

operationally• Flexibility, an entrepreneurial spirit, comfort with ambiguity• Strong communication skills, in both writing and speaking• An inspirational style with students and adults• An iterative and collaborative planning/working style (with admin team colleagues)• Evidence of systematic/spatial thinking

CARNEYSANDOE.COM 15

TO APPLY

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents. Those selected for the next step will be asked to complete additional materials related to the position:• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;• A current résumé to:

John FaubertSenior [email protected]

Heather FlewellingChief Talent [email protected]

Chaya KeefeSearch [email protected]