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Head of Highland School Heading Out
Head of Highland School Heading Out
By Jodi Nash
William Butler Yeats, the epic Irish poet and politician, once observed that, “Education is not the filling of a pot, but the lighting of a fire.”
Henry D. “Hank” Berg knows a thing or two about lighting fires. Great administrators have the capacity to create excellent schools because they attract gifted teachers to inspire young minds in and out of the classroom.
As Head of School since 2005, he’s guided Highland School in Warrenton through a period of dynamic growth during his 19-year tenure. A graduate of Wake Forest University with a bachelor’s degree in economics, his was an unusual path into education.
A devoted outdoor wilderness enthusiast and experienced hiker, kayaker, and rock climber, he and two friends started Blue Ridge Outfitters, guiding white-water rafting trips in West Virginia. Seeking alternatives to traditional sports activities for boys, St. Albans School in Washington, recruited him to co-direct their wilderness program. He essentially served as their outfitter while teaching history and supervising dorm life.
After six years, he was on a canoe and camping trip to Big Bend National Park in West Texas when a chance meeting led to an opportunity to obtain a Master’s degree in interdisciplinary science at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Offered a scholarship, he completed the program in a year.
At the time, St. Stephen’s School in Alexandria was creating a middle school program, looking for someone to modernize the curriculum and revise their methodology for sixth to eighth graders.
It was a perfect fit. Hank and his three brothers had attended St. Stephen’s, an independent school with a long tradition of providing an excellent college preparatory education. His father, a Yale graduate, was chair of the foreign language department, teaching Spanish, coaching baseball, and immersing his family in the culture and tradition of private education and academia.
He started in the fall, teaching eighth grade science and working to ground and discipline 80 boys. He eventually became director of the middle school, obtaining his first administrative position at age 28.
“I was the boss of some of my father’s colleagues,’ he said.
After the merger of St. Stephen’s with its sister school, St. Agnes, to create a coed class, he and several colleagues left to start Flint Hill School in Oakton.
“The Hazel family was instrumental in funding and supporting this…and did more for education in Northern Virginia than anyone,” he said. “We had 425 kids, from feeder schools all over the area.”
At Flint Hill, Hank built the program, first as upper school director, then as assistant head, and later as acting head of the school. Chosen as director of Highland School, being an educator developed over time as a function of experience, not necessarily choice.
“I love working with kids in a school setting,” he said. “Highland eschews a one-size-fits-all ‘sit and get’ approach to learning. We strive to understand the science behind it and support our teachers’ growth and training in how to reach all kinds of minds.”
Clearly proud of the All-State and Division III athletes the school has produced over the years, Hank notes this reputation for being a good athletic school never comes at the expense of academics.
The robust performing and fine arts programs at Highland, with a state-of-the art facility featuring the Rice Theatre and Lise Hicklin Black Box Theatre, offers a vital alternative to creative students seeking career paths in the arts. Hank also has made Highland a true family affair; his three daughters are all graduates.
Asked about his biggest challenges, he answered immediately.
“The economic recession in 2008,” he said. “There we were, embarking on expansion and growth with the building of our new lower school, just as enrollment shrank. Our faculty bore the burden, with the sunsetting of benefits and wage reduction.”
With a goal to always avoid disruption to students, the next arduous task the school faced was Covid, post-Covid, and the resulting teacher shortage.
“It was an unknown for everybody, but we were able to keep most of our lower-level kids in the building,” he said. “We had the capacity to spread out. The upper school did hybrid learning or alternate day attendance.”
Hank will retire from Highland at the end of this academic year. Still an avid cyclist, he completed a cross country ride from north of Seattle to Bar Harbor, Maine in two parts, pedaling 3,000 miles in 2017, and 1,000 miles in 2019.
First thing on his agenda?
An already mapped bike ride from Minneapolis to Yellowstone National Park. After that Hank Berg expects to be active in the non-profit volunteer community. After all, there’s always more to learn.
