News & Updates 1/26/24

This week, I had the opportunity to represent Nantucket New School at the Head’s Retreat for member schools of The Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE). 

Our school is accredited by AISNE, and this Fall, we passed our re-accreditation check-in with flying colors. The goal of accreditation is to provide quality assurance that our school is meeting rigorous standards in all aspects of our operation and that we’re operating in alignment with our mission. The ten-year accreditation cycle allows us to periodically review what we do, which is an important element of our institutional health and promotes continuous school improvement.

AISNE provides a lifeline into the robust network of independent educators in New England. We spent three days digging into themes on leadership, technology, and school culture. In one particularly meaningful session, we discussed a recent article in Harvard Business Review about leadership-in-flow, which says that leadership is a state to be activated, rather than a trait to be acquired. I appreciate this way of thinking, because leadership doesn’t look the same for all our students. Each child comes to us with their own unique leadership qualities built in and we encourage them to tap into their own core strengths.

Most of our time at the retreat was spent celebrating stories of success, talking to each other about common challenges, and providing a supportive pat on the back. A fellow Head humorously modified a Jay-Z lyric, ‘I got 99 problems, but the kids ain’t one!’ In that moment, I appreciated that our priorities at the New School remain centered on our students and their experience, and everything else takes a backseat.

I was happy to be able to catch up with Todd (who says hello!) and spend time with our new Head, Amy Vorenberg. I encourage you to reach out to her as we move through the Spring and say hello! Her freshly minted email address is avorenberg@nantucketnewschool.org. She’ll be on campus later this Spring. We’ll keep you posted!