Fall 2008 Spring 2008 - Manlius Pebble Hill School

Adieu,AndreaYOU might call it “AndreaDanial’s Big Adventure.” Aftermore than 30 years with ManliusPebble Hill School – the first and onlyemployer she has ever had – Danial issoon off to tackle new challengesbeyond Central New York. In July, shewill become head of Lower School atThe Episcopal Academy just outsidePhiladelphia.The job – and the adventure – came toher. The Academy, which currently hastwo separate campuses, is moving nextfall to a new campus in NewtownSquare, Pa. and appealed to her to helpguide the merger of its two LowerSchools.“That’s where the challenge is,” Danialsays. “Right now, the two Lower Schoolsare not only physically separated, butalso have distinct cultures. I’ll have tolead a culture change, blending thosetwo cultures and working with faculty,parents, and students to create a single,unified Lower School with 425children.”Fresh out of college (The StateUniversity of New York at Oswego),Danial began her career as an educatorteaching Third Grade at MPH. She lateralso taught Fifth and Sixth Gradersbefore being named Head of LowerSchool in 1995. After three decades atMPH, leaving is not easy.“I love it here,” she smiles. “Mycolleagues are more than professionalfriends – they’ve become part of myfamily. And I’m starting to see studentswho are the children of students Itaught here at MPH. Funny — I don’tfeel that old!”“Professionally, MPH has been a reallywonderful place to work because we areallowed to do so much, to be socreative. It’s not like that at everyschool,” she says. “The ordinary,everyday things here are really not at allordinary and everyday.”Danial is also grateful to MPH for theprofessional developmentopportunities it makes available toteachers and administrators: “They keepeveryone current. They keep ourprogram fresh.”Already armed with a master’s degree,Danial expects to finish the research fora Ph.D. in educational leadership thisJune. Much of that research has beenon MPH teachers, “so I’ll be back toshare with them what I’ve learned.”Her dissertation for the GraduateSchool of Education at the University ofPennsylvania will be on how teacherslearn to use and integrate technology inteam-based learning.Difficult as it is to leave “home,” thewell-loved head of our Lower Schoolthinks her departure for Philadelphiaoffers opportunity for MPH, too. “We can use some change here, too,” shesays, noting that every institutionbenefits from fresh perspective. “Eventhough I have been here for 30 years,I’ve never been afraid of change! As I’veso often told my children, my students,and my colleagues, you can’t stoptaking risks and challenging yourself.Just make sure the risks are notfrivolous; make sure they’re thoughtfulrisks.”Danial does confess, nevertheless, thatthere is one aspect of this newadventure at The Episcopal Academythat she does find a little scary–“Learning the names of 425 LowerSchool kids all at once isn’t going tobe easy!”Andrea Danial and her husband Johnhave two children. Patrick ’98 lives inSyracuse, N.Y. and Cristina ’01 lives inHouston, Tex.MPH REFLECTIONS 2008 17