Wow! That’s unbelievable? That really puts the school in a difficult situation. Terrible!
yeah. the most likely outcome for now is interim HoS, which, still, isn’t great.
@foxrye can you tell me more what you mean by the “yelling out for Kravis”, and also the DEI/athletics/arts issue? I’m not sure I understand the dynamic?
do we know where Zack is going instead?
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Sorry to hear these changes. I concur that lots of changes, either good or not good is going to happen. typically as students nothing can be done.
As a prospective parent at these schools, I am quite concerned with the alleged rumored reason for Lehman’s sudden change of mind. It did seem quite odd and given this new info, it makes some sense. My alarm is if Lawrenceville and LC had enough sense to immediately take action on such a serious accusation, why has he not been put on leave at Hill pending an investigation??? Does anyone have any info on this? I think parents have a right to know to whom they are sending their children and could have an impact on a decision.
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Your words “alleged” and “rumored” are key. I have heard an alternate version of the events but am not going to share as it is equally “rumored”. Like any story, there are many sides. I have not seen or heard any “official” communications.
!!! Culbert is staying for one more year !!!
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James L. Alexandre, Chairman of the Hill School BOT
“The progress that Hill has made during Mr. Lehman’s tenure over nearly 11 years has been transformational, especially during the challenging period of the pandemic. Under his leadership, our campus has been revitalized, we continue to enjoy wonderful engagement with and support from our alumni and parents, and have operated with financial discipline,” Alexandre wrote in his post on The Hill website.
“The Hill’s appeal as a top U.S. boarding school is measured in our record admission and enrollment figures, and we are proud to offer an outstanding educational experience provided by our excellent faculty,”
What are the details of this story? What happened?
I think this is the key quote:
“Head of School Zack Lehman recently informed the Board of Trustees that he wishes to advance the date of his planned departure from the School from June 30, 2023 to December 31, 2022 to pursue a new opportunity.”
He (or the BOD) is accelerating his departure by a full half year. (Leaving “to pursue a new opportunity” is classic legal/HR CYA language.) I don’t know what he’s done or what he’s doing, but whatever it is, it’s pretty disruptive for two schools.
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Where did this come from?
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Wow! This is unbelievable. Puts both schools in a tough spot.
I guess it will all come out in due time.
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Like most leading boarding schools , one suspects Hill and Loomis Chaffee have deep benches of administrative , faculty and board leadership . Those schools won’t skip a beat after a week or so of transition .
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I agree, but tough on Admissions dealing with prospective students and nervous parents.
There have many a notable HOS tales and transitions at almost all of the leading schools in the past 20 years or so , some more than once and they were not elegant . At the end of the day , the schools all seem to retain their same academic stature and school culture. All these schools are resilient .
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I hope the school grows from this by being more selective as to who serves on the faculty and makes decisions. Also to possibly grow in diversity, I think it would make a big difference to have a minority/woman serve as the head of school which has previously been known for being quite traditional. Dr. Rodriguez Vargas is both those things, and I hope Hill continues in a similar path.
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I’d rather see a school pick a candidate based on qualifications rather than worry if the candidate ticks of little boxes of being a minority/woman/person of a particular sexuality. I want a leader who can lead. There are plenty of people out there who can be successful leaders, and you diminish their worth when you have to specifically aim for a particular group to choose from. I don’t EVER want to get a job because I’m a woman, I want the job because I am qualified and can do the job! Don’t diminish my worth by putting a label on me, thank you.
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It’s not either/or!
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It’s not a qualification/capability.
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