The Bryn Mawr School€¦ · The Position Located in Baltimore, Maryland, The Bryn Mawr School is a...

The Bryn Mawr SchoolBaltimore, Maryland

Upper School DirectorJuly 2018

brynmawrschool.org

The PositionLocated in Baltimore, Maryland, The Bryn Mawr School is a private all-girls K-12 day school with a coed preschool for ages 2 months through 5 years. Bryn Mawr provides students with exceptional educational opportunities on a beautiful 26-acre campus within the city limits. Inquisitive girls, excellent teaching, strong student-teacher relationships, and a clear mission sustain this vibrant school community where girls always come first.

Steeped in a tradition of excellence in academic preparation, the arts, physical development, strong values and a powerful sense of community, the Upper School is a stimulating setting for ninth- through twelfth-grade girls and teachers. Focusing on how girls learn and thrive in a contemporary setting, the Upper School provides an exceedingly strong foundation for Bryn Mawr girls. Students are bright, curious, bold and creative.

Bryn Mawr is currently seeking an outstanding educator to lead this distinctive division of a wider, historically important girls’ school. The Upper School Director is responsible for leading not only the day-to-day operations of the division, but also for spearheading the division’s implementation of Bryn Mawr’s strategic plan and for developing the future vision for the division. The Upper School Director reports to the Head of School and the Dean of Faculty. He/she is a member of the Administrative Group, the Division Directors, and the Program Group, as well as any additional assignments from the Head of School or the Dean of Faculty.

School HistoryIn 1885, five young women, dissatisfied with their own educational opportunities, vowed to work together to create better schools and a more serious educational path for girls—one equal to or greater than that which boys received at the time. The women founded the first school in Baltimore with a college preparatory program for girls. They set high standards from the outset, insisting upon

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Mission Statement

The Bryn Mawr School is an independent, nonsectarian, college-preparatory school for girls from preschool through grade twelve. Within a nurturing environment, Bryn Mawr’s rigorous academic curriculum inspires a passion for intellectual curiosity and emphasizes the delights and demands of learning. In the classical humanistic tradition, Bryn Mawr promotes the full development of mind, body, and spirit. The school cultivates respect for diversity and engenders habits of moral and ethical leadership and a sense of responsibility to the broader community.

A Bryn Mawr education is grounded in the expectation that young women will be resilient in the face of complexity, ambiguity, and change; will become responsible and confident participants in the world; and, will lead considered and consequential lives.

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a well-educated, predominantly female faculty and a curriculum that required Latin and French, German and Greek, laboratory sciences, history, literature, advanced mathematics, elocution, and art. Students underwent examinations by professors from leading universities, including Johns Hopkins and Cornell, and were required to pass the exceedingly difficult entrance exam for the Bryn Mawr College in order to graduate.

The school building featured an indoor swimming pool, a gymnasium with the most modern equipment, as well as a full-time physician to oversee the athletic and posture programs. Up the many flights of stairs were complete scientific laboratories, an art room flooded with natural light, and a library stocked with classics and modern literature as well as scientific and mathematical volumes. The large study hall bore a complete copy of the Parthenon Frieze and there were copies of European and American statuary and artwork throughout the building for the girls to study and draw. Women who had reached the highest levels of academic achievement wrote to the founders offering their support and enthusiasm, as well as recommendations for faculty from among their own students.

After a series of secretaries who managed the school’s daily operations, the Board of Managers brought Edith Hamilton from her doctoral studies in Europe to serve as the First Headmistress. A gifted graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Hamilton guided the school for 26 years, from 1896–1922. Her love of learning was infectious and the girls worked hard to earn her praise. The school still bears the stamp of humanism and intellectual curiosity that she instilled.

As the city of Baltimore became more congested and families moved out to the country, there was an urgent need to move the school as well. The 28-acre property known as The Orchards was purchased in 1928, and the school spent several years acquiring the funds to gradually move out of


its home downtown and into renovated and new buildings in the country. Over the years, buildings have been added as needed and many have been recognized for excellence in design.

The SchoolFounded in 1885, Bryn Mawr is an independent, nonsectarian school educating 678 students—one of the oldest college-preparatory schools for girls in the country. Dedicated to providing girls and young women with the opportunities they deserve, the school helps women succeed by empowering them. Students question, lead, achieve, and succeed, and they are passionate about lifelong learning. With the support of teachers and the Bryn Mawr community, they are raising their own expectations about their capabilities – in the classroom, on the stage, in the studio and on the playing field.

Bryn Mawr is home to an extraordinary group of 108 full-time faculty members who care deeply about their students, and want each girl to be successful and happy. Overall, they have an average of 19 years of teaching experience, and 67% hold advanced degrees. A student/teacher ratio of 7:1 means teachers know each girl well and can offer the individual attention and care that each student needs to succeed and thrive.

AcademicsAcademics at The Bryn Mawr School take many different forms. From the joyful, play-based curriculum used in the Little School to the challenging college preparatory studies in the Upper School, Bryn


Mawr students experience the many delights and demands of education. The overarching goal across all divisions is to help every Bryn Mawr girl to develop and cultivate a lifelong love of learning. Faculty strive to make learning both fun and challenging, and focus on developing the whole child—physically, socially and emotionally. Importantly, the school believes that each girl is unique, and that she deserves to be known and loved, to have her individual talents appreciated and developed.

Bryn Mawr was an early innovator of technology, and a 1:1 iPad program in the Lower School and laptop program in Middle and Upper School support the school’s belief that technology helps to foster higher level thinking skills while supporting different learning styles, creativity, and collaborative learning. Bryn Mawr is a recognized leader in computer science education among girls, boys, and co-ed schools. Highlights of the technology and computer science curriculum include a multimedia resources library; formal computer science instruction starting in Lower School; elective courses in computer programming, iPhone app development, and robotics; dedicated Makerspaces in each division; and a cross-disciplinary Innovation Lab.

All-Girls EducationA single-sex environment provides a wonderful opportunity for girls to explore who they are as young women and scholars without social pressure. It’s good to be smart at Bryn Mawr; students are academically engaged, inquisitive and not afraid to speak their minds. Enthusiasm for all subjects—including math, science, public speaking and technology—is nurtured beginning at the earliest grades; no discipline is “off limits” for girls. From a very young age, Bryn Mawr girls learn that they have much to offer and much to learn from one another, leading to true lifelong friendships.


In this complicated and fast-paced world there are many issues that pertain to girls and their development. As students mature, they are encouraged to speak about these topics freely. Supported by strong positive mentors, students are able to open up, share their feelings, and feel assured they are not alone. It is this nurturing environment that allows girls to truly become comfortable in who they are.

Upper SchoolThe Upper School for grades 9 through 12 seeks to prepare students for the nation’s most selective colleges, and to lead lives of consequence and impact. Emphasis is placed on each girl learning to think for herself, and students have tremendous support as they set and achieve ambitious academic goals. Girls are encouraged at each step to develop their own questions, and teachers consciously nurture in students the awareness that asking one’s own question is often more valuable than answering someone else’s. Students put the skills they have learned previously to good use, exploring complex ideas in Harkness discussions, teaming with classmates for interdisciplinary projects, and taking initiative in independent study opportunities. The Bryn Mawr academic experience is rounded out by the many opportunities students have for leadership, athletics, arts, and community service.

Bryn Mawr’s vigorous college-preparatory program offers stimulating and challenging academics across many disciplines. The coordinate program with Gilman School and Roland Park Country School offers the opportunity for girls to participate in coed classes during their Upper School years, and to choose from a large and varied selection of elective courses. Coordinate classes are concentrated at the junior and senior levels, but offerings in world languages begin in ninth grade. Courses include offerings in English, history, mathematics, science, computer science, fine


and performing arts, health, world languages and cultures, physical education, public speaking, and psychology, many of which have Advanced Placement options.

Student LifeEqually important are the many opportunities students have for leadership, athletics, artistic expression, and community service. Outside the classroom, school-wide activities are organized by the Student Government Association, the Arts Council, the Athletic Association, the Community Alliance for Everyone, the Community Service Learning Association and the Environmental Coalition, whose elected leaders work together to coordinate numerous activities sponsored by the groups. More than 50 student-led clubs encourage girls to explore familiar interests as well as try new things. A K-12 House System provides cross-divisional fun, spirit, and leadership opportunities throughout the year.

ArtsBryn Mawr girls can be found building stage sets, developing photos in the darkroom, starring in the fall musical, playing the cello in a string ensemble and more. Dance, music, theatre and the fine arts are integral parts of the curriculum at Bryn Mawr and are enjoyed by novices and serious aficionados alike. Bryn Mawr girls feel free to try their hands at many things, supported by their teachers and classmates. The school has a rich arts program that is influenced by both required and elective courses, as well as an extensive selection of after school activities focused on the fine arts. Art, music, and dance begin in Lower School, and course offerings expand in Middle and Upper School to include drama, solo and ensemble choral and music groups, and opportunities to perform on stage or become involved behind the scenes.


AthleticsThe Bryn Mawr School was founded to provide girls with the same educational opportunities that boys enjoyed, which included an emphasis on physical activity. Understanding that participation in sports helps develop strong, self-confident, well-balanced young women, the school celebrates the challenges of competition and appreciates the lessons for life that sports provide. Core values of confidence, leadership, hustle, and commitment are taught and modeled by highly-trained coaches at all levels and lived each day by student athletes. In Middle School, all students are required to join two teams during both seventh and eighth grades. Offerings include cross country, field hockey, soccer, volleyball, basketball, dance company, squash, track/conditioning, badminton, lacrosse, softball, and tennis. In Upper School, one season of participation on a team, after-school activity, or managing a school team is required during the freshman and sophomore years. For juniors and seniors, two seasons are required. Both junior varsity and varsity teams are available in cross country, field hockey, soccer, tennis, volleyball, dance company, basketball, ice hockey, indoor track, squash, swimming, badminton, golf, lacrosse, softball, and outdoor track. Additionally, Gym Drill, a 113-year-old beloved event at Bryn Mawr, brings the entire community together on the first Saturday in May for a display of cultural dancing, music, and tradition.

STEM ProgramThe STEM program at Bryn Mawr provides girls with a strong foundation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math while empowering them to creatively engineer the future. Students learn to think both critically and creatively and to have confidence in their STEM skills by relating what they learn in the classroom to the world around them. Authentic STEM experiences offer opportunities for discovery and problem solving that build resilient, confident learners. The program is supported by STEM Career Fairs held on campus, STEM summer camps designed to teach new skills and excite the imagination, a STEM Mentor Program for both Middle and Upper School students, and internships for students interested in exploring STEM fields.


Global EducationGlobal education is an important part of a Bryn Mawr girl’s education, helping to fulfill the school’s mission of preparing students to be responsible and confident participants in the world, to cultivate respect for diversity, and to engender a sense of responsibility to the broader community. Students gain a deep understanding of the complexities and interconnectedness of the global society in which we live by allowing them to compare their own culture with that of another country. Most of all, it provides students an opportunity to get to know themselves and understand their place in the world in a way that can only be achieved by stepping outside their comfort zones. Programs for the 2017-18 school year include First Nations and Environmental Stewardship Community Service Trip to Vancouver, Canada; Exploration of Art and Social Movements in Havana, Cuba; Culture and Community Development in Thailand and Cambodia, Peru World Leadership in Puerto Maldonado, Peru; and exchanges in England, Czech Republic, South Africa, and Turkey.

Tri-School CoordinationFor nearly four decades, The Bryn Mawr School, Gilman School and Roland Park Country School have partnered to offer the best of both worlds to students: single-sex education combined with coeducation in the upper school

College MatriCulationThe Class of 2017 is attending the following colleges and universities:

American UniversityAmherst CollegeBarnard CollegeBoston UniversityBryn Mawr CollegeBucknell UniversityButler UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCase Western Reserve UniversityClaflin UniversityColby CollegeColorado CollegeColumbia UniversityDickinson CollegeDrexel UniversityEmory UniversityFranklin & Marshall CollegeGeorgetown UniversityGrinnell CollegeHaverford CollegeHobart and William Smith CollegesHoward UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityKenyon CollegeLafayette CollegeLoyola Marymount UniversityMarquette UniversityMiddlebury CollegeMuhlenberg CollegeNew York UniversityNortheastern UniversityOlin College of EngineeringPrinceton UniversityRider UniversitySaint Mary’s College of CaliforniaSanta Clara UniversitySkidmore CollegeSmith CollegeSpelman CollegeStanford UniversityThe George Washington UniversityThe Ohio State UniversityThe University of EdinburghThe University of GeorgiaTufts UniversityTulane UniversityUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of DelawareUniversity of DenverUniversity of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of NC at GreensboroUniversity of Notre DameUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of TorontoVanderbilt UniversityVirginia TechWashington University in St. LouisWellesley College

years. Coordinate classes are concentrated at the junior and senior levels, but offerings in world languages begin in ninth grade.

Personalized PathwaysNew in 2017, and intended to build upon Bryn Mawr’s foundational college preparatory curriculum—the Core Program—Personalized Pathways is designed to let students pursue their interests and deepen their understanding and experience in one of three areas: Arts, Global Studies, or STEM/Entrepreneurship. Students may apply to this optional program during the spring of their ninth-grade year and then pursue opportunities to connect their academic studies with significant and meaningful experiences beyond the classroom. Students create experiential learning opportunities in the program, such as curating an art exhibit, participating in an international exchange, organizing an event for classmates, or interning with a researcher. Along the way, students are guided by faculty and advisors and may culminate their work with a Capstone project during their senior year. Successful completion of the Personalized Pathways program will result in a scholar designation on their official Bryn Mawr transcript. The program supports Bryn Mawr’s mission of providing students the time and encouragement to take risks and discover their talents and passions.

Edith Hamilton Scholars ProgramInaugurated in 1999, the Edith Hamilton Scholars Program offers Bryn Mawr seniors an opportunity to pursue a unique course of study of particular interest to them while working with a mentor who has expertise relevant to the subject matter. Participation in the program is open to all rising seniors who desire to undertake a rigorous project, for which they receive neither credit nor grade, in addition to their regular academic courses. Scholars are chosen late in junior year through an application process that includes a written proposal and interview before a faculty and administrative committee. Following the completion of her project, each scholar delivers a convocation about her topic. Program topics for the 2017-18 school year include the decline of female dance choreographers, evolution of human genomes, the history and culture of Cuba, and the effects on Maryland’s unique ecosystems.


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Physical CampusThe Bryn Mawr School is located on 28 wooded acres in the heart of the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The entire campus features buildings employing green construction and many outdoor learning areas, including a learning deck that supports environmental studies. The Lower School is housed in a recently renovated cluster of buildings originally designed by noted architect Marcel Breuer. This part of campus provides wonderful teaching and learning facilities specific to the needs of the Lower School’s teachers and students, and includes beautifully renovated art and music classrooms, an innovation lab, and new playground equipment. Also noteworthy is the Lower School Science Center, which incorporates a greenhouse, animal habitats, an aquarium and a “DNA molecule” playground. The school has an award-winning dance studio, theater, and art gallery space for student’s work. Many outdoor learning areas and a learning deck in the “Northern Woods” section of the campus support environmental studies and offer unique learning spaces outside the classroom. Students also enjoy use of a meditation room, spin room, and turf playing field.

Baltimore, MarylandBaltimore is a vibrant, active city known for its ethnic neighborhoods, beautiful harbor, regal boulevards, and inviting suburbs. It has a distinguished academic and intellectual history, major league and Division I athletic teams, a thriving cultural community, and stunning natural resources. It is home to premier schools such as The Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, and Maryland Institute College of Art, plus prominent Catholic colleges including Notre Dame of Maryland University and Loyola University Maryland. World-renowned medical and research institutions The Johns Hopkins Hospital and University of Maryland Medical Center are also based in Baltimore City.



Sports fans are loyal to the Orioles, the Ravens, numerous lacrosse teams, and proudly support the annual Preakness Stakes. The port and the Inner Harbor anchor the urban area. A short drive leads to farms, hiking and biking trails, the Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore beaches, the Appalachian Mountains, and Washington, DC.

Baltimore’s cultural life is enriched by museums, orchestras, and theaters, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, The Walters Art Museum, American Visionary Arts Museum, and Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African-American History, the Baltimore Symphony, Center Stage, and The Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. Historically rich, Baltimore is home to more public monuments than any other city per capita in the country, in addition to some of the earliest National Register historic districts in the nation. More than 65,000 properties, or roughly one in every three buildings in the city, are listed on the National Register—more than any other city in the nation.

With hundreds of identified districts, Baltimore has been dubbed “Charm City” and “a city of neighborhoods.” Bryn Mawr’s own Roland Park neighborhood is pastoral and historic, with big, gracious homes and wide lawns. It was one of the first planned suburbs in the country, dating back to the 1890s. Roland Park offers basic amenities, including a market, hardware store, restaurants, pharmacy, post office, and bakery.

Opportunities and ChallengesBryn Mawr’s new Head of School, Sue Sadler, who came to the school this summer after a wildly successful run at The Hathaway Brown School in Cleveland, Ohio, has brought to the school community an infectious enthusiasm. The school also welcomed a new Lower School Director, Laurie Vennes, from Winchester Thurston in Pittsburgh, PA (and The Lexington School in KY before that), who has


infused the lower division with similar positive energy. In the meantime, with the launch of the Personal Pathways Program this fall, which was a core aspect of the school’s strategic plan, Bryn Mawr feels its upper division has set a clear direction, and now needs a capable leader to help the division and school implement lasting change. The faculty exudes the wisdom of experience, coupled with a sincere openness to change, and seems eager to build on the directional work done in the strategic plan and the momentum the community feels with new leadership. All in all, Bryn Mawr is in an excellent position to take a strong program and make it better; to become more student-centered, more creative in its instructional practices; and to make the upper school the best it can be.

Qualities and Qualifications of the Next Upper School DirectorBryn Mawr seeks a new Upper School Director who can:

• Inspire faculty, students, and the broader school community around a common vision• Combine prior experience in school leadership with a desire to continue to grow, learn, and

evolve as a leader• Bring experience as a classroom instructor into her thinking on how to best help students• Communicate clearly and transparently, both in writing and orally• Listen well and can internalize constructive criticism in the name of growth• Work with the upper school faculty to develop the Personalized Pathways program and encourage

faculty development through cross-curricular, interdisciplinary work• Help the school continue conversations around diversity and inclusion in the school community,

as Bryn Mawr seeks to transition from a multicultural focus to one that focuses on equity• Improve faculty diversity in hiring practices, while also working with faculty in ongoing diversity

training initiatives• Develop programs and affect school culture around student and faculty wellness, teaching

students how to be leaders who balance achievement with self-care

To ApplyInterested candidates should submit the following materials as separate PDF attachments in one email:

• Cover letter expressing interest in this leadership position at Bryn Mawr• Current résumé• Statement of educational philosophy and practice• List of five references, including name, phone number, and email address of each (References

will be contacted only with the candidate’s permission.), to:

John FaubertSenior [email protected]

Diana ZitoAssisting John [email protected]

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