N F A N , cT h S T S d 2020 - Carney Sandoe & Associates€¦ · Fast Facts Grades: 9-12 Total...

Norwich Free AcAdemy

Norwich, cTheAd oF School

TArgeT STArT dATe: July 2020www.NFASchool.org

overview

Norwich Free Academy, incorporated in 1854, is the only remaining privately governed, independently endowed academy in the state of Connecticut. Blending the very best of private and public education, NFA offers students a truly unparalleled four-year, coeducational experience for students in grades 9-12.

NFA is unlike any school in terms of its complexity, student population, and the breadth of its offerings both academic and extracurricular. Committed from the beginning to a culturally diverse and inclusive community, Norwich Free Academy reflects the diversity of the region and nation – geographically, economically, linguistically, and racially. Students experience the richness of global learning and see the world from a variety of perspectives.

As a school of choice, Norwich Free Academy accepts students who choose to attend and, by agreement, their sending communities fund tuition. NFA also accepts private tuition students, including international students, attracted to the Academy’s outstanding opportunities and choices, welcoming community, and distinctive campus.

Norwich Free Academy draws strength from independence and balances a commitment to excellence with appreciation of and care for each student. NFA’s independence safeguards traditions and fosters innovative responses to ever-changing student needs. The Academy’s opportunities and choices offer students more options than any other school in the region to engage their intellect, develop their passion, refine their interests and prepare for the world beyond the wrought iron perimeters of campus. The measure of Norwich Free Academy’s success and of the transformative power of the NFA four-year experience can be found in its loyal alumni, trustees, faculty, and volunteer leaders and their generous financial support and active participation.

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MissionSince 1854, the mission of The Norwich Free Academy has been “to return to our hamlets and our homes its priceless freight of youthful minds, enriched by learning, developed by a liberal culture, refined by study of all that is beautiful in nature and art, and prepared for the highest usefulness and the purest happiness.” Founder, John P. Gulliver (1856)


The school seeks a charismatic and dynamic leader as its next Head of School starting July 2020. The Head of School and the active and engaged Board can truly take pride in a school that works but continues to evolve. While owning a rich history as an anchor for the city of Norwich, NFA recognizes the need to continuously meet the realities of a changing population. NFA is an institution that requires its next Head of School to be the visible, engaged presence that the job demands – by visiting classrooms, joining students at lunch, having conversations in the hallway, attending practices and games – in general, showing an interest in the warp and weft of what makes the school important to all stakeholders and, thereby, validating the work of students, teachers, and staff.

The School

Founded in 1854, Norwich Free Academy offers approximately 2,300 students a unique combination of the best in independent and public education. NFA serves as a secondary school of choice to Norwich and seven surrounding communities, as well as a small number of tuition-paying students. The Academy is a privately endowed, independent, comprehensive high school with a public mission. NFA is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

NFA serves a truly diverse student body with 29 nationalities represented and 25 languages other than English spoken at home. Among the ethnicities represented in the class of 2019 were: American Indian (1%), Asian American (8.2%), Black (14.9%), Caucasian (52%), and Hispanic (16%). The student body also comes from a full range of socioeconomic backgrounds.

The visitor is struck by an overall tone of civility – young adults enjoying the opportunities offered by NFA and respecting the other adults and students in the community. As one senior student expressed, “We celebrate all forms of diversity – nobody gets kicked to the curb and forgotten.”

Fast FactsGrades: 9-12

Total enrollment: 2,254

Nationalities represented: 29

Languages spoken at home: 25

Faculty with advanced degrees: 93%

Class of 2020: 617

Student-teacher ratio: 13.9: 1

Operating budget: $38 million

Indebtedness: $ 11.3 million

Endowment: $81.4 million

Total donations: FY19: $709,000

Alumni contributing: 4.28%

NFA has adopted a house system which serves to make the school’s large size less daunting. As stated by one student, “NFA is a large school with a small school feel.” In order to prepare them for the NFA experience, all 9th graders are housed in Cranston House and assigned to smaller units that take the same core subjects together. In grades 10-12, students are assigned to the three other houses (Bradlaw, Shattuck, and Tirell). Overall, the average class size is 20.6, with smaller sized classes in elective courses.

Of the 552 graduates of the class of 2019, 73% attended postsecondary institutions and the rest joined the work force or the military. In the class of 2019, there were 18 AP Scholars, 6 AP Scholars with honors, and 6 AP Scholars with distinction. For the class of 2019, the SAT scores were on a parity with the State of Connecticut averages and slightly better than the national averages: Verbal: 498 (vs. 514/480); Math: 480 (vs. 500/530).

FAculTy ANd STAFF

The school is staffed with 197 teachers, 11 administrators, and 93 staff members. More than 90% of the professional staff have advanced degrees, with six holding Ph.Ds.

In terms of tenure, 44 teachers have been at NFA for 0-3 years; 59 for 4-10 years; 81 for 11-25 years; and, 14 for longer than 25 years. Average teacher tenure at NFA is 11 years. New teachers at NFA benefit from a faculty mentoring program. The school supports teachers’ efforts to earn master’s degrees by paying 50% of their tuitions. Teachers are particularly proud of the autonomy they have in creating courses to meet students’ needs and their own particular teaching interests, as well as being appreciative of the support they are given to be creative.



Among long-term staff there is a feeling of loyalty to the school. As expressed by one faculty member, “Teachers at other schools envy us.” Support staff members are also proud to be part of the NFA family, with a strong affinity for the students whom they help on a daily basis.

Videos that tell the story of NFA can be found here.

goverNANce ANd mANAgemeNT

A non-proprietary organization with a 501 c-3 corporation status, Norwich Free Academy is governed by a 12-member Board of Trustees, comprised of active community members from diverse backgrounds and include Norwich residents as well as residents from several of the surrounding towns that send their students to NFA. Many trustees are parents of current or former students and are alumni themselves who take pride in the independent nature of the school’s governance and the lack of a political agenda.

The Head of School is assisted in administrative duties by a Chief Financial Officer, a Director of Student Affairs, a Director of Diversity, a Director of Communications, a Director of Athletics, a Director of Information Technology, a Director of Student Services, and five Building Principals.

The FouNdATioN

NFA’s founding incorporators knew that the institution would only be sustained through the support and generosity of members of Norwich Free Academy family. That belief and knowledge remains true today.

Each year, generous donations allow the NFA Foundation to support the Academy’s mission. Gifts are directed to all areas of campus life – from facility improvements, technology upgrades, equipment purchases, and art supplies to supporting athletic programs and providing scholarships and general operating support. More recently, on January 21, the Foundation Board of Directors approved $1.2 million in tuition assistance to NFA for the 2020-21 school year and $550,000 for educational program support. This generosity directly impacts the opportunities available for every student, in every classroom, every single day.

AcAdemicS

For more than 160 years, Norwich Free Academy has prepared students to meet the challenges of the future. NFA’s broad, rich, and diverse curriculum offers students opportunities to learn and grow. Students explore areas of interest and discover new ones while mastering the skills and content for life beyond the campus. NFA’s liberal arts education gives students freedom to explore options before they make choices, and then grounds their choices in a foundation that doesn’t limit future options. At NFA, exceptional teaching and learning and unparalleled opportunities provide preparation for life.Dynamic and multifaceted, NFA’s curriculum is as broad and diverse as its students. No other high school in the region offers the breadth, depth, variety, and challenge of the Academy’s offerings.



Combined with a vibrant co-curricular program – both in and out of class – an NFA education empowers students. The school prides itself on offering a broad range of courses to prepare students for both college and the workplace. As a trustee states, “We try to offer a curriculum that makes students feel fulfilled. We have to be all things to all students because that’s what we are.”

NFA students must earn 25 credits in order to graduate, as follows: English (4), Mathematics (3), Social Studies (3), Science (3), Physical Education (2), Humanities Electives (2), STEM Electives (3), World Language (1), Other Electives (3), Mastery Based Diploma Assessment (1). High achieving motivated ninth-grade students seeking academic rigor and scholarly and intellectual challenge have the opportunity to take Honors Courses in English, mathematics, science, and social studies. NFA also offers more than 20 Advanced Placement courses.

Students may also earn college credit when taking courses at NFA through the Early College Experience program at the University of Connecticut, the Dual Enrollment program at Eastern Connecticut State University, and the College Career Pathways program at Three Rivers Community College. In academic year 2018-2019, 444 students participated in one of these programs.

College PlacementGraduates of the Class of 2019 are matriculating at a broad range of colleges and universities, including:

American UniversityBoston CollegeBoston UniversityBrigham Young UniversityBrown UniversityBucknell UniversityCatholic University of AmericaCentral Connecticut State UniversityColby CollegeColgate UniversityConnecticut CollegeCornell UniversityDrew UniversityEastern Connecticut State UniversityEmerson CollegeFlorida Institute of TechnologyFlorida State UniversityFordham UniversityFranklin & Marshall CollegeGeorge Mason UniversityGeorge Washington UniversityGettysburg CollegeHofstra UniversityIthaca CollegeMaine College of ArtNew York UniversityNortheastern UniversityOhio Wesleyan UniversityProvidence CollegeRutgers UniversitySavannah College of Art & DesignSmith CollegeStony Brook UniversitySwarthmore CollegeTemple UniversityThree Rivers Community CollegeTufts UniversityUniversity of ConnecticutUniversity of Notre DameValparaiso UniversityVillanova UniversityWesleyan UniversityWestern Connecticut State University

At the same time, NFA knows that one size does not fit all and not all students are ready or desire to go directly to college. Embedded within the curriculum is a Portfolio of Specialty Programs, offerings, and educational programming for those students whose learning, social and emotional needs, and life circumstances may require adjustment to program of study or instructional delivery. These programs meet diverse individual needs while allowing students to participate in NFA’s Wildcat Community, including 60 Interscholastic Athletic Programs, a full complement of Unified Sports Programs and Activities, and over 65 student clubs and activities. So, while educational programming may be individual for each student, the opportunities of the four-year high school experience are the same for all.

NFA’s Portfolio of Specialty Programs affords all students access to a magnificent campus and offers more opportunities and choices than any other high school in the region. Specialty Programs include APS (Alternative Pathways to Success), an evening program for students unable to meet graduation requirements in a four-year span; ELL (English Language Learners) Program & Arrival Center, serving eligible students whose first language is not English; Night School, serving eligible students not experiencing success in day school by maintaining an avenue to a high school diploma; and Sachem Campus Transitional Program, meeting the personal, emotional, social, and academic needs of students warranting a different instructional and curricular delivery system in a smaller, personal environment.

The Special Education Department provides classes in the core academic areas of English, mathematics, science, and history, as well as career education independent study and other educational services as specified in a student’s IEP. The program offers options in the least restrictive environment; a strong case management model to support both families and faculty; and services, accommodations, and modifications to help students succeed and reach their potential.



NFA’s School To Work program helps students jump start their future. From manufacturing to healthcare, a network of community partners is growing and ready to train the next generation of skilled workers through training and development of skills, job shadowing opportunities, and employer networking. Interested students may apply to the School To Work program beginning their junior year.

ArTS

Norwich Free Academy’s focus upon a liberal arts education includes a serious commitment to arts education. Arts education is central to NFA’s history and identity, and since 1890, The Norwich Art School has been home to the Academy’s programs for the Visual & Performing Arts.

With the Slater Museum, one of only two professionally staffed, full-time art museums on a high school campus in the nation, The Norwich Art School and Norwich Free Academy form an institutional triad preparing artists for art school with the intensity and vigor with which scholars are prepared for post-secondary education and young people for the work world. The Norwich Art School has produced professional artists for more than a century. Over the years, the program has expanded beyond drawing, painting, traditional sculpture, and design to graphic design, photography and digital imaging and sculpture, animation, and metal and jewelry courses. Students serious about continuing in art education after graduation can apply to the Fine Arts Program in which they compile an individual art portfolio.

Music education crosses academic and social boundaries and unites students of varying backgrounds, interests, and experience levels. Numerous opportunities in choral and instrumental music offer options for beginner, intermediate, and experienced musicians to learn, grow, and perform both as


individuals and members of an ensemble. Performing arts programs include a variety of dance and theater courses with options for beginners and accomplished performers. Students participate in all levels of music, acting, directing, design, production, and performance.

AThleTicS

NFA Wildcats are part of a long line of academic and athletic excellence. The Athletics Program is an extension of the physical education program. The program’s goal is to provide students with the advantages and opportunities inherent in sports participation. Through participation in athletics, both interscholastic and intramural, student-athletes have opportunities to develop values and attitudes of benefit later in life, and they enter adult life with more confidence and a higher level of self-worth. Students are encouraged to make the most of their abilities, to support their teammates, and to represent the school community in an exemplary manner.

NFA offers the following interscholastic sports: baseball, basketball (boys and girls), cheerleading (co-ed), cross-country (boys and girls), fencing (boys and girls), field hockey (girls), football, golf (boys and girls), gymnastics, ice hockey, indoor track (boys and girls), jazz pom squad, lacrosse (boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls), softball, Special Olympics, swimming (boys and girls), tennis (boys and girls), track (boys and girls), unified basketball, unified track, unified soccer, volleyball (boys and girls), and wrestling. The NFA - New London High School football rivalry is the oldest in the country.


STudeNT liFe

The four-year NFA Experience is more than time in class learning. NFA’s campus offers a variety of options for every student to be involved -- to experience, to serve, to lead, to have fun, to build relationships, and to develop character. With more than 65 clubs and activities and with 30 athletic programs, students have opportunities to discover themselves and where they belong.

Among the numerous clubs and activities offered at NFA are Amnesty International, Anime Club, Asian Cultures Club, Bible Club, Book Club, Classic Movie Club, Dance Team, Equestrian Club, Gay/Straight Alliance Club, Geography Club, Haitian Student Group, Jazz Ensemble, Ice Skating Club, Instrumental Music, Latin Club, Math Club, The Mirror (yearbook), National Honor Society, Nexus for Black Achievement, Outdoor Club, Performing Arts, Science & Environmental Club, Science National Honor Society, Skateboard Club, Spanish Club, Student Art Association, Student Advisory Board, Successful Hispanics’ Alliance, Wildcat Marching Band, Young Voter’s Society, and Youth Peace Club.

A student-managed restaurant, The Brickview, is one of many examples of experiential learning at NFA. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from October to May, the Brickview serves lunch to the campus and community. Students practice their culinary arts skills while learning leadership and business management skills in all of the many aspects of the food service industry. Student wait staff learn important customer service skills for success in a fast-paced service industry. Each week a different senior manages the restaurant.


cAmpuS

The NFA 42.5-acre campus is located in southeastern Connecticut in the city of Norwich. A visitor’s initial impression is one of the grace and intimacy of a small college campus with generous open, green spaces and dignified brick and red sandstone buildings. One of the lawns is home to the largest single collection of Japanese cherry trees north of Washington D.C. There are ten buildings with a total of nearly 400,000 square feet of interior space.

One of only two secondary schools in the U.S. with a professionally managed art museum on campus, Norwich Free Academy is home to the Slater Museum. Named for the 19th century industrialist and philanthropist John Fox Slater, the museum was commissioned by his son and completed in 1886. The noted Worcester, Massachusetts architect, Stephen C. Earle designed the building in a Romanesque Revival style and constructed it with brick, red sandstone, and granite. Its interiors are oak, maple, and cherry with ornamentation that includes hand-wrought iron and stained and leaded glass. The first floor contains an auditorium serving as the venue for meetings and theatrical performances for the school and the community at large. The upper two floors are dedicated to the Museum collection including plaster casts of the most famous world masterpieces of sculpture as well as fine and decorative art, historic artifacts, and ethnographic material from five continents spanning 35 centuries. For more than a century, the Museum has remained true to its mission as an educational resource for the Academy and the community. The Slater Memorial Museum’s relationship with the Norwich Art School has maximized the Academy’s ability to train young artists while contributing to the cultural life of the greater community.

[email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com 13The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com

The original library was known as the Norton-Peck Library. In 1992 through the generosity of a few alumni, a new four-million-dollar addition was constructed as the Latham Science and Information Center/Edwin H. Land Library. In addition to its on-shelf collection of more than 35,000 books, the library contains 70 magazine subscriptions and numerous online research and information databases including Newsband, EBSCO, and ReQuest, the statewide electronic union catalog providing access to over four million volumes held in 250 Connecticut libraries for interlibrary loan. There is a wide range of materials to support class assignments, recreational reading, and personal information needs.

The College and Career Center, located in the Latham Building, is available to students, parents, and alumni to aid in developing, evaluating, and effective initiation of career paths. Resources include college and career searches through the Naviance Program along with a transition career specialist to assist students.

NFA has two gymnasiums, the Norton Gym and the Alumni Gym, with a spacious and well-equipped weight training room. Outdoor physical education facilities include a multi-activity turf field with a running track surrounding it.

Norwich, coNNecTicuT

Known as the Rose of New England, Norwich lies at the confluence of three rivers: the Yantic, the Shetucket, and the Quinebaug. These three come together to form the Thames River which flows to Long Island Sound. Founded in 1659 by settlers who purchased land from Chief Uncas, leader of the Mohegan Tribe, Norwich was strategically located for commerce and recreation.


Today, Norwich enjoys a wide diversity of race, ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds, and the city is embracing its diversity to fuel economic development through the global city initiative. The city has a stable population, a wide range of municipal services, a modern industrial park, its own utility company, and a positive outlook for residential and business growth. The harbor now, however, has a more casual feeling. Instead of being crowded with commercial schooners and steamers, it is filled with different shapes and sizes of pleasure craft lying at anchor.

Recreation is still a visible, valuable part of life here. There is a public park shaped like a collar around the head of the harbor providing shared community space. Any day that weather permits, the benches and public docks at the park are filled with people fishing, boating, painting, socializing, and picnicking.

Rich in history and the arts, Norwich is a mecca for people exploring history, the arts, and recreational attractions such as ice skating at the Norwich Municipal Rink, boating, golf, miles of walking trails and 2,500 rose bushes in 120 varieties at the Mohegan Park, and live theater at the Chestnut Street Playhouse. The variety of attractions in Norwich provides something for everyone and the location is also ideal as a hub to visit other nearby sights in southeastern Connecticut.

opporTuNiTieS, ANd chAlleNgeS

This unique school seeks a Head of School with strong academic and managerial qualifications whose energy and dynamic vision will guide the school as it continues to prepare its diverse student population to be responsible and productive citizens in a global 21st century.

[email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com 15The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com

As the demographics of Norwich and the NFA student community continue to evolve, the next Head will be expected to maintain the strong tradition of serving the educational needs of this diverse community while reaching out to the partner districts as well as to the Norwich community which has fewer and fewer multi-generational NFA students and more transitional students. Traditionally, NFA has met its educational mission through its historic role as a private academy serving a primarily public school population in a form that resembles, in many ways, a traditional regional high school. Recently, competition for student enrollment has increased from new educational models such as magnet and charter schools. The Board of Trustees will expect the new Head to maintain NFA’s historic strengths and commitments, but also explore complementary, alternative opportunities to enhance academic resources and enrollment.

Opportunities for the next Head of School include:

• The ability to partner with a committed, self-perpetuating Board that allows the Head to run the school.

• A dedicated faculty who feel empowered to take risks.• A well-resourced school, thanks to the generous support of the Foundation.• A school with a strong reputation, a proud history, and enduring traditions.• Alumni who feel a strong attachment to NFA.• A beautiful campus with well-maintained facilities.• A vast array of programs – curricular and extracurricular – that the entire community takes pride

in and which can serve as a model for any school in the country.


Challenges for the next Head of School include:

• Building bridges with the partner districts in order to ensure that in a competitive environment NFA remains their school of choice.

• Continuing to provide services that meet the needs of a wide array of students.• Helping the large faculty and staff to communicate and collaborate better.

deSired QuAliTieS ANd QuAliFicATioNS

The next Head of NFA will have many of the following qualifications and qualities:

• A visible and engaged presence on campus – who will show interest in students, teachers, and staff.

• An appreciation for the community diversity and public/independent structure of NFA.• An inspiring communicator and strategic thinker.• A decision-maker who will be open to others’ points of view.• A visionary educational leader.• An innovator acquainted with various alternative organizational formats such as magnet, charter,

on-line, and private tuition schools.• A desire to respect and embrace NFA traditions.• An ability to foster good relations with local, state, and federal authorities and organizations.• Experience with marketing and philanthropic development.• A willingness to make a commitment for a significant period of time.

To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one email and as separate documents (preferably PDFs) the following materials:

• A cover letter expressing your interest in the Head of School position at Norwich Free Academy;

• A current résumé;• A one-page statement of educational philosophy;• A list of five professional references with name, phone number, and email address of each

(references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:

Art CharlesManaging Associate, International [email protected]

N F A N , cT h S T S d 2020 - Carney Sandoe & Associates€¦ · Fast Facts Grades: 9-12 Total...

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