GDS high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current division heads don’t desire a lateral move. They want to move up to become a HOS.

Very common for newly minted division heads to transition from other positions in school leadership (department chair, dean, DEI head etc.)

They may not have ever led a division before and yes, that means there is a steep learning curve. Schools try to give at least 3 years for them to work out the kinks…

NOT at a school as competitive as GDS. As a long-time GDS parent, I would have found reasonable hiring an assistant principal from *within* GDS, but the GDS HS is not the kind of school where you move up the ladder. It’s a lateral move for an experienced principal from a school that is less competitive.

[Anonymous]

NCS’ current upper school head was a department chair as were many of the currently acting upper school heads in the DMV.

Teacher->junior/senior admin role->division head ->HOS

Very normal career progression at all private schools, even GDS.

[Anonymous]

Also, these posts about the principal not being present are really weird! She's at multiple sporting events, after school things, performances, you name it. I feel like I see her everywhere! I think if you're applying to GDS, be careful of reading an anonymous forum on an online message board with people who obviously have an axe to grind. That can't be the experience of the hundreds of families who apply to GDS, continue to stay there, and then send their next kids. No school is perfect, but at any private school, the privilege (and ridiculous expectations) of the students and parents far outweighs any administrator being "out of touch."

[Anonymous]

FWIW our GDS senior likes the principal. Thinks she's a little too warm and fuzzy sometimes, but says she usually says hi, seems friendly and open to conversations, and overall has a positive opinion of her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NCS’ current upper school head was a department chair as were many of the currently acting upper school heads in the DMV.

Teacher->junior/senior admin role->division head ->HOS

Very normal career progression at all private schools, even GDS.

The head of the US at NCS holds a PhD, taught for over 20 years including at the university level, was assistant dean of students at Phillips Exeter, taught at two other prominent girls' schools, and served in a number of administrative capacities prior to being appointed head of the US at NCS. The GDS HS principal should have had about 10-15 years more experience before stepping in the role that she's in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCS’ current upper school head was a department chair as were many of the currently acting upper school heads in the DMV.

Teacher->junior/senior admin role->division head ->HOS

Very normal career progression at all private schools, even GDS.

The head of the US at NCS holds a PhD, taught for over 20 years including at the university level, was assistant dean of students at Phillips Exeter, taught at two other prominent girls' schools, and served in a number of administrative capacities prior to being appointed head of the US at NCS. The GDS HS principal should have had about 10-15 years more experience before stepping in the role that she's in.

impressive on paper but moral of the story is experience does not always translate into success

what glitters is not always gold…

[Anonymous]

OP, constant drum beat of complaints?
Sounds like 14-18 years of age to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCS’ current upper school head was a department chair as were many of the currently acting upper school heads in the DMV.

Teacher->junior/senior admin role->division head ->HOS

Very normal career progression at all private schools, even GDS.

The head of the US at NCS holds a PhD, taught for over 20 years including at the university level, was assistant dean of students at Phillips Exeter, taught at two other prominent girls' schools, and served in a number of administrative capacities prior to being appointed head of the US at NCS. The GDS HS principal should have had about 10-15 years more experience before stepping in the role that she's in.

Do you have children at both schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCS’ current upper school head was a department chair as were many of the currently acting upper school heads in the DMV.

Teacher->junior/senior admin role->division head ->HOS

Very normal career progression at all private schools, even GDS.

The head of the US at NCS holds a PhD, taught for over 20 years including at the university level, was assistant dean of students at Phillips Exeter, taught at two other prominent girls' schools, and served in a number of administrative capacities prior to being appointed head of the US at NCS. The GDS HS principal should have had about 10-15 years more experience before stepping in the role that she's in.

impressive on paper but moral of the story is experience does not always translate into success

what glitters is not always gold…

For real. She is absolutely horrendous as an US school head and roundly disliked by all: teachers, students, parents.

[Anonymous]

The administration in general is the weak spot of GDS. With the lower school principal turnover and the high school principal's lack of experience it has been frustrating.

GDS' strengths are definitely the teachers but most programs run by the administration, especially in the high school, are lacking (DEI, college counseling, disciplinary). As a parent of a high school student many of the programs are great in theory but we find them lacking with very little accountability or transparency.

We have had several interactions and meetings with the HS principal and found her inexperienced and lacking empathy or interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The administration in general is the weak spot of GDS. With the lower school principal turnover and the high school principal's lack of experience it has been frustrating.

GDS' strengths are definitely the teachers but most programs run by the administration, especially in the high school, are lacking (DEI, college counseling, disciplinary). As a parent of a high school student many of the programs are great in theory but we find them lacking with very little accountability or transparency.

We have had several interactions and meetings with the HS principal and found her inexperienced and lacking empathy or interest.

Similar here. Our interactions with HS principal have been the same. The people who report to her in administration - curriculum people, display people and CCO - seem entirely not empowered to make decisions and openly defer to her while grin f’ing the parent.

And yet she’s hard to reach and generally has been slow to respond on the few occasions we’ve escalated something unless we’ve basically gone 911 on our email over a serious school f-up. There was a really bad one a few years ago. And then I’ve had an immediate response from her.

Have heard from my kid that many faculty members despise her and speak openly about how bad a leader and decision maker she is. Maybe this is normal. Maybe not. I hear a lot of it though.

On the disciplinary committee front, have heard from other parents that every decision made - even for minor *entirely* non DEI infractions - are dominated with a DEI restorative justice lens as how the kid needs to make amends. It’s very much on brand for the former head of DEI at dalton. One can google how that went at Dalton…

This too shall pass - but probably not in time for our kid’s tenure at the school. Like many 2020 and 2021 decisions, boards are seeing the reality of bad hires slowly. GDS’ board will be late to seeing this but will eventually. Pretty much can count on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The administration in general is the weak spot of GDS. With the lower school principal turnover and the high school principal's lack of experience it has been frustrating.

GDS' strengths are definitely the teachers but most programs run by the administration, especially in the high school, are lacking (DEI, college counseling, disciplinary). As a parent of a high school student many of the programs are great in theory but we find them lacking with very little accountability or transparency.

We have had several interactions and meetings with the HS principal and found her inexperienced and lacking empathy or interest.

Similar here. Our interactions with HS principal have been the same. The people who report to her in administration - curriculum people, display people and CCO - seem entirely not empowered to make decisions and openly defer to her while grin f’ing the parent.

And yet she’s hard to reach and generally has been slow to respond on the few occasions we’ve escalated something unless we’ve basically gone 911 on our email over a serious school f-up. There was a really bad one a few years ago. And then I’ve had an immediate response from her.

Have heard from my kid that many faculty members despise her and speak openly about how bad a leader and decision maker she is. Maybe this is normal. Maybe not. I hear a lot of it though.

On the disciplinary committee front, have heard from other parents that every decision made - even for minor *entirely* non DEI infractions - are dominated with a DEI restorative justice lens as how the kid needs to make amends. It’s very much on brand for the former head of DEI at dalton. One can google how that went at Dalton…

This too shall pass - but probably not in time for our kid’s tenure at the school. Like many 2020 and 2021 decisions, boards are seeing the reality of bad hires slowly. GDS’ board will be late to seeing this but will eventually. Pretty much can count on this.

I have no skin in this game and am honestly not trying to stir up drama by asking, but if you had to guess, is there a chance she's not going to last very long in the role?

I find it troubling that the administration has had so much turnover in the last decade. That indicates larger problems.

[Anonymous]

High school parent here who has been at GDS awhile. First the high school teachers are fantastic - truly great. Not only in the classroom but some of their star extracurricular programs - e.g. debate, running.

We’re not to the college part yet but much of the administration stuff at the school is meh. That was true for us through go elementary/middle.


But the reality is that our kid spends most of the time w the teachers - not administrators. And for such an intense academic program (high school) it is a joyful place to go to school. The kids are there all the time.

So the administration thing is annoying but worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NCS’ current upper school head was a department chair as were many of the currently acting upper school heads in the DMV.

Teacher->junior/senior admin role->division head ->HOS

Very normal career progression at all private schools, even GDS.

Didn’t NCS upper school head come from Exeter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The administration in general is the weak spot of GDS. With the lower school principal turnover and the high school principal's lack of experience it has been frustrating.

GDS' strengths are definitely the teachers but most programs run by the administration, especially in the high school, are lacking (DEI, college counseling, disciplinary). As a parent of a high school student many of the programs are great in theory but we find them lacking with very little accountability or transparency.

We have had several interactions and meetings with the HS principal and found her inexperienced and lacking empathy or interest.

Similar here. Our interactions with HS principal have been the same. The people who report to her in administration - curriculum people, display people and CCO - seem entirely not empowered to make decisions and openly defer to her while grin f’ing the parent.

And yet she’s hard to reach and generally has been slow to respond on the few occasions we’ve escalated something unless we’ve basically gone 911 on our email over a serious school f-up. There was a really bad one a few years ago. And then I’ve had an immediate response from her.

Have heard from my kid that many faculty members despise her and speak openly about how bad a leader and decision maker she is. Maybe this is normal. Maybe not. I hear a lot of it though.

On the disciplinary committee front, have heard from other parents that every decision made - even for minor *entirely* non DEI infractions - are dominated with a DEI restorative justice lens as how the kid needs to make amends. It’s very much on brand for the former head of DEI at dalton. One can google how that went at Dalton…

This too shall pass - but probably not in time for our kid’s tenure at the school. Like many 2020 and 2021 decisions, boards are seeing the reality of bad hires slowly. GDS’ board will be late to seeing this but will eventually. Pretty much can count on this.

I have no skin in this game and am honestly not trying to stir up drama by asking, but if you had to guess, is there a chance she's not going to last very long in the role?

I find it troubling that the administration has had so much turnover in the last decade. That indicates larger problems.

This unfortunate dei restorative justice disciplinary style is also very much in the middle school so I'm not sure it's specific to the high school principal. The administration doesn't seem to realize that they are creating unnecessary tension among the students through this uneven and unfair practice.