King School Stamford, Connecticut Dean of Athletics July 2017 www.kingschoolct.org
The Position King School seeks a dynamic Dean of Athletics to lead a robust and competitive program encompassing physical education and upwards of 13 team sports for students in PreK through Grade 12. The position will provide leadership to coaches, work with players, parents, and competitor schools, and oversee the smooth operations of King’s athletics schedule and facilities.
Mission King is dedicated to preparing its students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. We provide an excellent, progressive education, grounded in the traditional disciplines of the arts and sciences, committed to the nurturing of individual potential, and designed to promote critical thinking and reasoned reflection. Using rich and innovative methods, our Teachers facilitate each student’s fullest academic and personal achievement. We champion the development of character, self-confidence, and talent through challenging intellectual, creative, athletic, leadership, and service opportunities. King believes that individual accomplishment must go hand in hand with respect for others. Our culture of respect fosters collaboration as well as independence. We embrace human and cultural diversity. We value responsible citizenship. King graduates are well equipped to succeed in college and to pursue lives of ongoing inquiry, learning, accomplishment, personal fulfillment and social responsibility.
Virtues • • • •
Integrity: Understanding and living by our values with authenticity. Kindness: Intentional consideration and compassion for others. Perseverance: Relentlessly pursuing excellence with a focus on growth and improvement. Respect: Treating every person with dignity and civility through honoring ourselves and others in our words and actions.
The ideal Dean of Athletics is an individual who is passionate about student development through physical activity, skill building, and team play. Moreover, the new Dean should be committed to fostering an environment that brings King’s four Virtues of integrity, kindness, perseverance, and respect into the gym and onto the ice and the fields. As the chief athletics officer of the School, the Dean of Athletics is responsible for communicating and promoting the goals and objectives of the athletics program to parents, faculty, staff, alumni, administration, and trustees. A commitment to diversity, high expectations for student conduct inside and outside of competition, a genuine warmth of personality, and healthy senses of humor and humility are essential.
School History King School is the product of the convergence of three independent schools that, from the beginning, shared similar educational missions. The oldest school, LowHeywood, was founded in 1865 by C.E. Richardson in downtown Stamford. In 1883, Louisa Low purchased Mrs. Richardson’s School for Girls. Her niece, Edith Heywood, was her assistant. In 1875, after being asked by several local families to form a private boys’ school, Hiram King, a Dartmouth College graduate, founded King’s Day School. The school resided in several locations before settling on the Simon Estate, the summer home of singer/songwriter Carly Simon. The Simon House still stands on the campus and houses many administrative departments. In the meantime, the Low-Heywood School moved from its downtown location to Shippan Point to make way for the main post office building. The school was successful but in 1944, the heirs of Louisa Low and Edith Heywood sold the
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property on which the school was located. Within a month of the sale, the school relocated to Judge Lockwood’s estate on Courtland Avenue and, in 1969, finally settled into the Walker estate adjacent to the King School on Newfield Avenue. While all this was going on in Stamford, a few miles away in Rowayton, Mabel Thomas created a school on her parent’s summer estate. Opening in 1922, the Thomas School was intended to be both a day and boarding school. According to a story in the Norwalk Hour, the school would offer “lessons in the morning and after a wholesome hot dinner, there will be games and sports in the afternoons, both indoor and outdoor, under the supervision of a physical director.” In 1974, the neighboring Low-Heywood and King schools began coordinating their educational and extracurricular programs in the Upper Schools. In 1975, the Thomas School merged with the LowHeywood School at the latter’s Newfield Avenue campus. Both the King School and Low-Heywood-Thomas School maintained individual identities until 1988, when the King & Low-Heywood Thomas School were joined into a truly coeducational school. The Lower School and Middle School were located on the former King Campus while the Upper School took over the former Low-Heywood Thomas Campus. In July 2008, the School’s name was changed to King Low Heywood Thomas, and its official nickname became “King.” In 2016, the School’s name was updated to King School with its nickname remaining as “King.” The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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The School King School is an independent co-educational day school in Stamford, Connecticut with 680 students in PreK through Grade 12. Under the leadership of Head of School Tom Main, King marked its 150th anniversary in 2015, celebrating a long tradition of character development and academic excellence, with a focus on preparing students to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Today, King is distinguished by its emphasis on a personalized approach to teaching and learning, warm and inclusive community, and excellent teachers: 81% of faculty hold advanced degrees and the school supports professional development to keep each teacher, administrator, and coach at the forefront of his or her field. King embraces diversity among faculty, staff, and students, with over 23% of the student body self-identifying as students of color. For the 2016-2017 school year, 14% of students received financial aid. King offers its students a challenging academic program that is complemented by enriching cocurricular activities underscored by leadership, service, and athletic opportunities. Across disciplines and activities, King values personal fulfillment and social responsibility, encouraging students to grow as individuals and citizens. King sets itself apart from other schools through the connections by which this growth is made possible, as students, faculty, staff, and families work together to guide each student towards success.
Academics King offers an excellent, progressive education that places students at the center of their own learning. Across grade levels, the hallmark of King’s approach is the school’s personalized approach to teaching: faculty members take the time to get to know students and their interests in order to
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truly engage with each learner in and out of the classroom. This process is supported by small class sizes and a unique student learning profile system that describes students’ strengths, challenges, and affinities, facilitating growth and consistency as each student moves through the school. King’s curriculum is centered around two main axes: STEM and reading and writing. The first set of skills prepares students to explore the intersections of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; the second fosters analytical reading, clear writing, critical thinking, and thoughtful speaking. Across the disciplines, King teaches students to engage with global issues, building an awareness of and appreciation for the complexities of a changing world through language and cultural studies. Throughout the King experience, a flexibly designed curriculum means that students can pursue their own needs and interests. In the Lower School, this might mean moving amongst math and reading groups according to their fluency; as they move into the Middle and Upper Schools, students may begin to select courses relevant to their particular strengths.
Lower School In the Lower School for PreK through Grade 5, students begin their development into passionate learners and good citizens, building a love of reading and writing, math, and science through enriching, hands-on work. Faculty members create a classroom environment that is safe, nurturing, and interactive, encouraging students to develop King’s four Virtues: integrity, kindness, perseverance, and respect. During their time in the Lower School, students are introduced to different genres through the Writer’s Workshop as they create their own stories, students’ understanding of STEMrelated concepts are enhanced through interdisciplinary curricular and co-curricular activities, and students develop empathy through service and character education programming. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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College Placement
Middle School
The following is a selection of colleges and universities matriculated to by the Self-exploration is a guiding principle of the Middle School Class of 2016: experience at King for Grades 6 through 8, with students developing their independence under the guidance of • American University faculty members who can support meaningful academic • Boston College and character development. In-class learning and projects • Boston University are supplemented by opportunities for co-curricular growth. • Bowdoin College Middle School students build self-esteem through ongoing • Champlain College challenging academic coursework, collaborative activities, • Colby College and skill development; the growth mindset is central to student success. • Colgate University • Columbia University • Cornell University • Dartmouth College Upper School • Elon University • Emerson College In the Upper School for Grades 9 through 12, students • Fordham University move towards self-knowledge and healthy risk-taking, • Franklin and Marshall College designing their own academic paths as they prepare for • Gettysburg College college. Along the way, King offers numerous opportunities • Goucher College for students to both challenge themselves and pursue their • Hamilton College individual interests. Students may choose from 22 Advanced • High Point University Placement courses and Research and Development • Indiana University classes in the sciences; earn Certificates of Distinction in • King’s College (London) the areas of STEM, Leadership, Global Studies, or World • Lehigh University Languages; and design their own independent courses of • Loyola University Maryland study through the Advanced Tutorial program. • Marist College • Miami University, Ohio • New York University • Pratt Institute Arts • Rollins College • Santa Clara University As part of its comprehensive curriculum, King ensures that • Southern Methodist University all students are exposed to all forms of creative expression • Syracuse University and encouraged to express themselves and discover their • The Catholic University of America talents through involvement in the arts. The performing • The George Washington University arts provide opportunities for students to make personal • Tulane University and cultural discoveries while developing self-confidence, • University of Colorado (Boulder) imagination, and intuition. Students interested in theatre arts can choose to continue their training and deepen • University of Connecticut their skills as actors and communicators. Visual arts at • University of Miami King emphasize the importance of creative thinking and • University of Pennsylvania expression. Areas of study include painting, drawing, • Villanova University ceramics, digital media, and more, and learning is supported • Wake Forest University by the study of art and art history from around the world. • Wheaton College (MA) • Williams College The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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Athletics At King, athletics are an integral part of the educational experience: offerings include physical education through Grade 6 and upwards of 13 different team sports from Grades 7 through 12. Since 2007, King has captured 21 FAA League Championships, 12 FAA Tournament Championships, 12 NEPSAC Championships, and 8 awards for sportsmanship. Yet even more than giving students the experience of working towards those wins, King athletics exists to create well-rounded team players with a deep-seated sense of loyalty and respect. The King athlete performs at his or her best thanks to strong coaching which cultivates skills, teaches teamwork, and holds every student to a high standard of behavior on and off the field. For students in PreK through Grade 6, physical education is an integral part of the school curriculum, with younger students practicing movement and playing games to cultivate body awareness and cooperation. Older Lower School students practice sports-specific skills, preparing them to select and join teams as they enter Middle School. Beginning in Grade 7, students can select from a full slate of team sport options in fall, winter, and spring. Coaches emphasize individual skill development in the context of practice and competition at the Middle School, Junior Varsity, and Varsity levels. Across all grade levels, teamwork, sportsmanship, and self-discipline are cornerstones of the King athletics program.
School Life Every aspect of life at King is suffused with the school’s four Virtues, qualities that make for a vibrant and interconnected school community. Across grade levels, students participate in the King Cares service program, which provides volunteer opportunities and promotes values of civic responsibility and citizenship, and diversity education is incorporated throughout divisions. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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Co-curricular enrichment adds breadth and depth to the academic experience. In the Upper School, students may participate in STEM-oriented clubs such as the King Math Team or Chemistry Olympiad, or activities including the Debate Team, Model UN, Independent Filmmakers, King Talks (assemblies at which students present on particular areas of interest), and The Standard newspaper, and an online creative magazine, which dovetail with students’ reading and writing studies. At the Lower School level, after-school activities include LEGO robotics, children’s choir, and Zumba. In Middle School, students have opportunities to get involved with music, theater, and student council, and sports, as well as clubs and activities such as improv, dance, service, and chess. In addition to regular local field trips, King students are presented with numerous opportunities to broaden their horizons: among them, the Grade 5 Boston trip, a Grade 8 trip to Washington, D.C., and a Grade 9 trip in the fall, which allows new students to get to know their peers outside of the school setting. Beyond this, King offers opportunities for students to travel globally during Middle and Upper School, with several international trips planned for spring and summer 2017.
Stamford, CT Stamford is situated near the southwestern point of Connecticut. The third-largest city in the state, Stamford is home to a population of nearly 129,000. Four Fortune 500 Companies, nine Fortune 1000 Companies, and 13 Courant 100 Companies call Stamford home, making it the largest financial district in New York Metro outside New York City itself. Approximately 30 miles from Manhattan, Stamford’s position between New York City and the rest of Connecticut defines its character. Stamford takes on an atmosphere of New York City in its downtown and adjacent neighborhoods, then transitions to a more traditional suburban small-town atmosphere in its northern sections. Stamford plays an active role in the New York City Metro and Fairfield County art and music scene. It also has one of the largest and most diverse selections of restaurants and shopping in Fairfield County.
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For those who enjoy the outdoors, the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Bartlett Arboretum, and Cove Island Part provide green spaces, walking trails, and beaches to enjoy. Several small parks and playgrounds also dot the city. Lovers of the arts can catch a show at the historic Palace Theater which hosts a variety of performances each year. The city hosts cultural and other events, including Alive @ Five, a summer music festival. Stamford has one of the highest educated populations in the U.S., with nearly 44% of residents possessing a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Opportunities for the Dean of Athletics The Dean of Athletics will be the visionary leader of the athletics program and therefore responsible for all programmatic aspects of the department. He/she will serve as the leader of the School’s athletics strategic plan. As the “face” and “voice” of King’s Athletics Department, the Dean of Athletics’ primary responsibility will be to lead the athletics program for students and their families to ensure that all programs support the Mission and Virtues of the School and align with the policies and expectations of the School’s co-curricular requirements. The Dean will oversee the entire athletics program, supervising and conducting yearly/seasonal performance reviews, and work closely with the Head of School, Dean of Students, Admission, College Counseling, Marketing, and Development offices to ensure the vision of the athletics program is clear, communicated well to all constituents, and is aligned strategically with other departments.
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Desired Qualities of the Dean of Athletics The Dean of Athletics will: • Display proven leadership skills, especially within a secondary or college/university athletics department • Have excellent written and oral communications • Display a proven ability to work with students and parents in a positive spirit • Display proven experience as a coach
To Apply Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one email and as separate documents (preferably PDFs) the following materials: • A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position • A current resume, to: Rice Bryan Search Consultant rice.bryan@carneysandoe.com
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