OP here.

Thanks so much for all of your responses! It's great to see there are so many positive role models for our DC's during the tumultuous middle school years.

Barry Davis at Flint Hill School.

Meighan at St. Anselm's.

Anonymous wrote:Maret's Middle School director is amazing. This is her second year and she's really brought some amazing changes to really invigorate the middle school.

+1

Mr. Mehigan at Saint Anselm's

How is the new Intermediate School head at Potomac? Anyone have any feedback?

Anonymous wrote:The middle school head at WES is great. Just the right combination of high expectations, realism and sense of humor. Also good at navigating middle school social issues. Many people think this is a difficult age but she seems to really understand young adolescent issues and like the kids.

Ditto this for Holton.

The thing about the MS Head is, you must really love what you do to take that job with kids in this age group. Must be why there's such high praise for all of them.

Maret's Middle School director is amazing. This is her second year and she's really brought some amazing changes to really invigorate the middle school.

The outgoing MS head at Bullis has been terrific. She's very insightful about what makes kids this age tick and has worked with a young and energetic faculty to put together a program that provides opportunities for MS students to try new things, develop strong study and self-advocacy skills, and get to know each other in a social setting that doesn't make them feel like they're supposed to be mini-teens. She's leaving for a school in NY . . . hope the new head will build on this strong foundation.

I think the head of Landon's Middle School is terrific. There's someone on this board who doesn't like him, but most parents I have spoke to like him a lot.

Burke's is amazing. She is my hero.

IKWYM -- GDS is going through such a transition now. I think both old and new share an understanding that the key to a successful middle school is paying (at least) as much attention to the social curriculum as the academic one. Previous head was psychologically shrewd yet compassionate. And may have had a tendency to think in terms of social engineering/structural solutions. (Certainly you could see those structures in place -- I'm just not sure whether they predated her tenure.) New head seems more moralistic and I'm skeptical about how much traction that approach will have.

Also can't tell who was/is responsible for hiring the MS faculty. It's a great team and I wonder whether the school will look for the same attributes in MS faculty that it has in the past. I tend to think that excellent MS faculty are a special breed and what makes them exceptional are characteristics that can't be reduced simply to teaching ability and academic credentials.

Norwood's.

Probably one of best administrator's I have come across.

Big boots to fill for the next one.

The middle school head at WES is great. Just the right combination of high expectations, realism and sense of humor. Also good at navigating middle school social issues. Many people think this is a difficult age but she seems to really understand young adolescent issues and like the kids.

The thread about McLean School's Middle School head got me thinking. Being in charge of 6th-8th grade must be really, really difficult. Especially when you throw in the parents who want to continue to be involved in their child's life and the children who want to be independent.

If you've had a really amazing Head of Middle School, can you tell us about them? I know we can't name names here but if you put the school, it would be a good start. Or maybe you don't have to give a name, just the characteristics that you think made them a good leader for 13 year olds.