The Park Parent April-May 2013 - The Park School

Anticipating Michael Robinson, continued from page 1formed a Transition Committee to address a wide array of concerns– from helping Michael and his family relocate to Boston,to identifying key dates for his calendar, to keeping Park’s dailyroutine as regular as ever.Jerry has been instrumental in helping us identify prioritiesfor Michael. “When I first started at Park 20 years ago,” Jerryrecalls, “it was important for me to know the School through theeyes of the faculty and staff.” Getting to understand and appreciatethe individuals in our community enabled him to buildpartnerships. Thanks to Jerry’s suggestion, Michael is lookingforward to one-on-one meetings with each of Park’s 160 employees.He will begin the meetings when he arrives in July and hopesto wrap up in the early fall. Once school opens in September, hewill then begin acquainting himself with our 560 students andmore than 700 parents!Jerry also recommended that we try to make Michael’s personaltransition to Park as seamless as possible. “A key ingredientof Michael’s professional transition is ensuring a smooth personaltransition too,” he advised. When Jerry began his headship, hewas quite familiar with Brookline and its surrounding communitieshaving been a Newton public school principal for many years.Jerry recalls, “I had a simpler transition personally but a biggertransition professionally.”BecauseTransition TeamMichael has ledVinny Chiang, Co-Chairthree independentLanny Thorndike ’81, Co-Chairschools before comingto Park, he isCynthia HarmonHeidi Johnsonfamiliar with theirPatti Kraftunique managementAmy Lloyd McCarthy ’86challenges: workingwith a Board ofKatie McWeenyPete RiehlTrustees, fundraising,and managingSarah RoseBea Sandersan operating budgetSuzie Tapson, ex officioto name a few.However, Michaelwill need all of us to help him get to know the Park community,Brookline, and the surrounding towns.With that in mind, we are pleased to announce that theRobinson family will be living at 133 Goddard Avenue, theformer home of Nancy and Kim Faulkner ’45. In December, theSchool bought the Faulkner property – 8.3 acres adjacent to thePark campus. The purchase was funded primarily through dona-A Parent’s Perspective on the TransitionBY PADMAJA RAMAN, Park Parent Editorial BoardIt is a rare and exciting opportunitythat we Park School parents get towelcome a new leader into our community.As Jerry prepares to bid us adieu and headto the Big Apple, we are poised to welcomeMichael Robinson as our 12th head ofschool on July 1st.Jerry is leaving us with a strong,successful school with an establishedfaculty and staff that has become part ofmy daily routine. As a new parent in thefall of 2004, I recall Mrs. Ball greetingme with her warm, reassuring smile andMr. Segar’s cheerful greeting at drop off.Fast forward nine years and those ParkSchool institutions remain constant andheartwarming. In the midst of all that isfamiliar and constant, we are sure to missJerry’s ubiquitous presence next fall.My friend and fellow Park parent,Elizabeth B. Lamont, remarked aboutthe change in leadership: “Jerry is anoutstanding academic leader who willmost certainly provide all the elementsneeded for a smooth transition for MichaelRobinson. The most important thing wecan do,” she continued, “is to welcomeMichael Robinson to the Park communitywith open arms. We can show support,respect, and patience as he begins tolearn about this wonderful place that wealready know so well. We should standready to help him in anyway that we can,and as part of that, be able to talk openlyabout areas that are working well as wellas areas that might benefit from change.Kindness and candor cannot be oversold attimes of transition.”Heads of schools take on an enormoustask of leading a team who are responsiblefor educating the next generation. Havingobserved Jerry over the years, his passionand commitment to improving thequality of education has always beenstrong. Based on Michael’s presentationto our community last fall and havingread about his professional experiences,I believe that he will bring a similarpassion into his new role at Park. Thetask of leading a school requires dedication,as it is a continuous journey involvingopportunities, changes and challenges overtime. This type of dedication is what wesee in both Michael and Jerry, who willbe leaving familiar grounds and movingto new schools to continue their sharedmission of bringing excellence to education.Michael, we look forward towelcoming you and your family, andworking with you as part of the Parkcommunity. Jerry, good luck and bestwishes to you! Your toughest challenge isnot to succumb and switch your allegiancefrom our beloved Red Sox to that teamcalled the Yankees!The Park Parent // PAGE 4