Letter from Board of Trustees Chair 11/6/17

November 6, 2017

Dear Tenacre Community,
A little over a week ago, we shared the exciting news that Will Crissman would succeed Chris Elliot as our 13th Head of School. Many of you are now probably wondering what happens next, so this letter attempts to lay out, at least in broad strokes, our transition plan.

The headline answer to “what happens next?” is that the next few months will primarily be a chance to catch our breath as a community.  We’ve had an especially busy fall with all of the activity surrounding our finalist visits.  In addition, we recognize that change, even when it’s thoughtfully managed, is an emotional process that requires a certain degree of pacing.  For the immediate future, therefore, our focus will be on the wonderful, everyday rhythms of school life.

 

In the background, of course, we won’t be entirely sitting still.  The Board of Trustees has formed a Transition Committee which has already begun meeting to oversee all aspects of the transition process.  To ensure continuity, several members of the Search Committee are serving on the Transition Committee, but we’ve incorporated many new voices as well.  The committee members include:

 

Roger Forman, Co-Chair, Trustee, Current and Past Parent

Stephanie Price, Co-Chair, Trustee, Current and Past Parent

Lou Anne Collins, Assistant Head of School

Sherrie Delinsky, Current Parent
Lee Frechette, Community Outreach Coordinator, Former Trustee, Past Parent

Beth Hamory, Trustee, Current Parent

Robert Henderson, RG175 Consultant, Past Parent, Former Trustee, Former Head of School at Noble & Greenough

Carla Higgins, Trustee, Current and Past Parent

Linda Nitschelm, Assistant to the Head of School

Michele Norman, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Current and Past Parent

Kevin Richards, Grade 6 Teacher, Past Parent

The Transition Committee will have three primary areas of responsibility.  First, the Committee will plan events and other activities to celebrate Chris and his extraordinary legacy.  Second, the Committee will coordinate efforts to welcome Will and his family into our community.  And, finally, the Committee will lay the groundwork for Will to assume his responsibilities come next July.  This includes formalizing regular communication between Chris and Will, creating opportunities for Will to develop relationships with Tenacre’s faculty/staff and identifying appropriate times for Will to be back on campus.  We should note that, while you will have opportunities to interact with Will this year, they will be somewhat limited.  He still has a sizable “day job” at Milton Academy and, understandably, needs to remain committed to those responsibilities.  Chris will continue to expertly lead Tenacre and will hold decision-making authority in all areas.

 

So that the Transition Committee’s work is truly a community effort, we’d like to invite any and all parents and faculty/staff members to get involved.  Please reach out to Roger (rforman@marathon-co.com) or Stephane (selprice@me.com) if you’re interested in participating.

 

Here’s to our year of great celebration as we honor Chris, welcome Will and collectively embrace a wonderful future!

 

With thanks,

 

Michele Norman