AROUND CAMPUS
Strategic planning and new initiatives highlight Tom Sheppard’s first year as Head of School
Q. Looking ahead, what are your goals and priorities for the school in the upcoming academic year, and how do you plan to achieve them? With our core values established, we now launch the next phases of Our Vision. Our Future. in which we revisit our mission, establish our vision, and create the strategic plan that will guide us in the years ahead. While that effort will lead to a number of important educational initiatives, we’ve already started to push forward having recently announced to current families a number of enhancements to our current programming and the introduction of new programming such as Global Online Academy, all of which will be part of our students’ experience next year. Beyond programming, we are also beginning to imagine the future of the spaces in which learning occurs across the campus. Where that dreaming leads remains to be seen, but we draw inspiration from the Boll Center and the countless ways that space has positively impacted many aspects of life at ULS. At the end of the day, I am excited to imagine all of the ways our community may evolve in the years ahead. As we do, I know we start from a position of strength with the love and devotion that so many have given to ULS and our predecessor schools for nearly 150 years.
Q. Reflecting on your first months as head of school, what have been the most surprising or unexpected aspects of your role? The fact that there is very little I would say was surprising is a testament to the community and the entire head of school search process where I was able to learn a great deal from so many who were so forthcoming. Instead of being surprising, many experiences have reaffirmed the decision Jennifer and I made to join the ULS community when the offer was extended. Everyday I find myself amongst committed faculty, students, parents, trustees and alumni who have successfully navigated the pandemic and are eager to help ULS continue its journey. Each of those moments is a source of inspiration for me as we imagine the future of education on our campus. Q. How have you approached building relationships with faculty, staff, students, and parents, and what strategies have you used to foster a sense of community within the school? While we are all pulled in many directions, there is no substitute for spending time together to build the relationships upon which our success is built. Even today, seven months into my time at ULS, I am continuing to meet one-on-one with faculty and staff, so we can hear each other’s stories and also discover what we have in common. Faculty and staff gatherings at the Head of School House and periodic meetings with all faculty and staff have also provided important venues for honest dialogue about our strengths and opportunities for growth.
Time with students is invaluable. Just today I had lunch with the leaders of the Class of 2024 as we have done several times over the course of the year. Each month we also draw a senior’s name out of a hat with the winner getting an open invitation, from me, for them and three friends to join me for take out from a restaurant of their choice. Time spent aimlessly wandering the halls of the lower school and peeking in classrooms lets me experience the joy of learning and innocence of youth, which is on display there everyday. Selfishly, those journeys also often result in a bear hug around the knees from one of many lower school students. Those moments are when one is reminded how lucky we are to spend our days with young people. Q. Could you share an example of a particularly rewarding moment or achievement during your first few months as head of school? Launching our strategic planning process, Our Vision. Our Future ., has already provided many rewarding moments with many more certainly
on the horizon. Watching our students, faculty, staff, parent
leaders, and trustees engage with each other during Core Values Week in December showed me, with great clarity, how much many have invested in this community. That work led, thankfully, to the Board of Trustees’ approval of our core values in January. Now the real work begins as we endeavor to ensure that excellence, empathy, respect, integrity, and community become ingrained in everything we do.
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