1 HEAD OF SCHOOL SEARCH THE WHITE MOUNTAIN SCHOOL Bethlehem, New Hampshire July 2019 APPLICATION PROCESS HISTORY AND MISSION Inquiries can be made to Tom Olverson at the email In 1886, Bishop William Niles founded St. Mary’s address below. Candidates should submit a letter of School, an Episcopal School for girls. The school interest, a resume, one confidential reference opened its doors to eight boarders and fourteen (additional references will be required at the finalist day students in a large mansion in Concord, New stage), and a statement of educational or leadership Hampshire. The property was purchased with philosophy by May 1, 2018 to: money donated by Mrs. A. B. B. Tilton and other Tom Olverson, Consultant generous residents in the Concord community. In Resource Group 175 1936, under the leadership of Headmistress [email protected] Dorothy McLane (Aunt Dot), the school moved to 617-599-3111 the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire on the Seven Springs Estate. The estate was destroyed by a fire in 1964, but there was determination to rebuild and a main building and two dormitories were constructed. The school admitted boys in the 1970’s and changed its name to The White Mountain School. Though the school has gone through many iterations, “The constant is this belief: capable young people deserve to be challenged in a small school that develops the body, the mind and the soul in an uplifting environment…” (The First Hundred Years). To learn more about The White Mountain School: www.whitemountain.org Head of School Search 231 HeadHead of of School School Search Search The TheWhite Common Mountain School School Today, The White Mountain Compassion School (WMS) is a thriving, co- We are fully present. LOCATION AND ed, diocesan school and has an We honor our stories. CAMPUS enrollment of 125 students. Its We give of ourselves. mission is succinct and lived: The White Mountain School’s By translating these values setting is stunning. Every vista has We are a school of inquiry and into specific behaviors, the its own breathtaking beauty. The engagement. Grounded in our White Mountain mission is area is an outdoor lover’s paradise. Episcopal Heritage, we prepare alive and vibrant, fully on Hiking, swimming, golfing, and inspire students to lead lives display every school day, kayaking, skiing, mountain biking, of curiosity, courage, and referenced in meetings as and rock climbing provide compassion. guiding principles, and not recreational experiences. The only inspirational but also school’s intentional use of large These words are not mere aspirational. Behind this lived windows invites the outdoors platitudes or vague notions; mission is the belief that the inside and indeed, reflects the they are rich with meaning and flourishing of an individual is importance of the natural world in intentionality. White Mountain intimately linked to the health the school’s program and ethos. gives definition to “curiosity, of a community. In 2015, the Littleton is a five-minute drive courage, and compassion,” and NEASC Visiting Accreditation from campus and is the in doing so, makes public the Committee commended the quintessential New England town. standards by which it measures school “for the faculty, With excellent restaurants, an itself: administration, and Board opera house, a movie theater, and commitment to the mission quaint Main Street stores for Curiosity and the many manifestations shopping, Littleton provides We start with questions. of it in the lives of the enough city entertainment to We seek truth and beauty. students.” complement the outdoor activities. We venture beyond. Boston is a two and a half hour drive while Montreal is only a Courage three-hour drive. Hanover, the We speak our truths. home of Dartmouth College and a We fail forward. center for cultural and intellectual We stand up to be counted. events, is an hour away from the school. 2 2 Head of School Search The Common School Head of School Search The WhiteThe Mountain Bishop’s SchoolSchool The White Mountain School campus has 310 acres, not all contiguous. The buildings and fields are on fewer than fifty acres. The campus has fourteen buildings and two fields. The mostly white buildings blend well with the surrounding beauty of the landscape. The hub of the campus is the McLane Building named after Dorothy McLane who led the move of the school to its present location from Concord in 1936. The McLane Building houses the Head of School office, other administrative offices, the Lovejoy Chapel where the community gathers four times each week for Morning Meeting, the dining hall, the McGoldrick Library and Research Center, numerous departmental offices, classrooms, and more. Its recent renovation has made it more attractive and inviting, and throughout the day it hosts a whirlwind of activity - meetings, discussion groups, dance rehearsals, study, meals, and more. The Steele Science Center houses two large science labs as well as math classrooms and the most recent new building, the Catherine Houghton Arts Center, provides ample space for a superb fine arts program. A black box theater, a gym mainly used for climbing and fitness, faculty houses, four dormitories, The White Mountain School Farm and a network of perimeter trails round out the picturesque campus. A pond on campus is used for swimming as well as research for some of the science classes. Also on campus is a spacious Head of School House, which houses student gatherings, faculty get-togethers, alumnae/i and trustee functions. Plans call for the construction of an additional dormitory, which will also provide a necessary upgrade to faculty housing. The timing of construction is uncertain, but funds are being raised and this project remains the Board’s top priority. 3 123 HeadHead of of School School Search Search The TheWhite Common Mountain School School one student said, “If my friend doesn’t sweep the floor, I can’t mop it.” As a result, the sense of entitlement that can be present at some independent schools is absent at White Mountain. Morning meeting is yet another opportunity to strengthen community. Students and faculty give talks, make announcements, organize the day, and celebrate important events. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Director of Diversity and Inclusion gave a stirring and captivating talk about the lesser known heroes in the Civil Rights movement. Student voice is valued and sought after. When SCHOOL come from seven different countries renovation plans for the McLane COMMUNITY and represent about a fifth of the Building were being considered, student body. Most of these students were invited to review the From the moment a visitor sets students come from China. The plans and provide input. foot in the McLane Building, she student-faculty ratio is 5:1, and this feels the warmth that defines this year the school will be graduating 39 The sense of community at The school. With 125 students and 26 seniors. Approximately half of the White Mountain School creates a full-time faculty, the school is student body receives need-based culture of acceptance. Students intentionally small, and it is evident financial aid. can be quirky, they can have that it wants to remain so despite unusual passions, and they can the clear challenges that this size The students are friendly, forge their own identities without presents. In the minds of students passionate, and grateful for the the fear of bullying or isolation. and adults, “small” is what makes opportunity to be mentored by such The energy that many students at White Mountain work. It creates a a dedicated group of teachers. other schools expend creating a close student-teacher relationship Evening extra-help sessions are persona is, at White Mountain, and a palpable sense of community common. Seniors talk at great directed toward discovering a that is rarely seen in independent length about their LASR passion, making an authentic schools. Students, teachers and (Leadership, Art, Service, Research) friend, trying something new, and administrators all call each other projects, which are required for all ultimately becoming the person by first names. graduates. One student focused her the student wants to become. project on sustainability and talked White Mountain is a safe place to Within the student body, 104 are with confidence and intelligence fail, grow, and flourish. boarding students and 21 are day about what the school can do to students—a ratio that helps to improve its commitment to Of course, what makes this all maintain the school’s commitment environmental sustainability. possible is a faculty that fully buys to boarding. The school has a into the White Mountain way. The remarkably diverse student body, The sense of community at White care and support teachers provide which is a real asset, especially Mountain is not just a result of its students is extraordinary, even by considering the school’s location in small size. There is an intentionality boarding school standards. They northern New Hampshire—not a that clearly promotes work together to find the best racially or ethnically diverse area of interdependence. Students do ways to reach their students, and the country. International students chores side-by-side with faculty. As as noted above, they go the extra 4 412 Head of School Search The Common School Head of School Search The White Mountain School PROGRAM very bright but who feel like round mile to help their charges be In many respects White Mountain’s pegs in square holes at larger, more successful. 59% have advanced academic program looks like that of a traditional schools. Student-driven degrees and many are standard college preparatory school. inquiry manifests itself in the LASR attracted to the school Students take the traditional college program, which requires students to because of its location and the prep classes in the five majors as well construct a semester-long inquiry importance of the outdoors in as AP and Honors classes and also have into a topic of their choosing.