Outside the CLASSROOM
Rod & Cassi Gerdsen For Rod and Cassi Gerdsen, life is all about family. They treasure
the time they spend with each other and their children, Kate ’20 and Jack ’24. Their trips to visit their parents and relatives in North and South Carolina are highlights on their annual calendar. And, for the past 17 years, they’ve embraced the hundreds of students and colleagues who make up their Blair family, sharing warmth and kindness—not to mention unbridled enthusiasm for marine life and countless homemade brownies—with them all.
It’s not surprising that family was the impetus
Urban Principals and Leadership Program
that brought Rod and Cassi to Blair. Having
through Lehigh University. Earlier in his career,
met in 1997 as colleagues at Aiken Prep, an
he earned a master’s degree in marine affairs
independent day and boarding school in
from the University of Rhode Island, which
South Carolina, they taught and worked at
prompted him to establish Blair’s perennially
two other (primarily) day schools after they
popular marine science course in 2005, at
were married in 1999. Five years later, they
the time only the second science department
were looking for a close-knit, boarding-school
elective. He has since loved leading long
community where Rod’s vision for their family—
winter weekend trips to tropical destinations,
inspired by his “amazing” experience as a
where his passion for all things ocean comes
boarder at Pomfret School—could become
alive. During his tenure, he has also served
a reality. Blair happened to be looking for
as an academic monitor, director of annual
a biology teacher/boys’ dorm head/squash coach, a job description that fit Rod to a T, and one visit to campus sealed the deal. Rod, Cassi and then-2-year-old Kate moved in to East Hall in the summer of 2004 and “settled right into the community of faculty and kids,” according to Cassi. “It didn’t take long to feel comfortable at Blair.” From there, the Gerdsens dove into their roles on campus and, over the years, welcomed new opportunities to share their passions, interests and talents with the Blair community. For his part, Rod has always been a lover of learning. This summer, he earned an MEd, his second master’s degree, completing the
The Gerdsens at play.
