Middle School Principal
Start Date: July 1, 2023
Coed Day School, Grades 6-12
1,845 Students
Middle School: 10210 Oakdale Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311 High School: 7500 Chaminade Avenue, West Hills, CA 91304
About the School
Chaminade is an independent co-educational Catholic school in the Marianist tradition. It serves a diverse student body in grades 6-12 across two bucolic campuses in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. The school is a mission-centered community with an unwavering commitment to growing one’s faith, serving others, and ensuring the success and well-being of every student and employee. Chaminade sets the standard for Catholic college preparatory excellence with a rigorous, relevant, and innovative academic curriculum and extensive extracurricular offerings.
Founded by the Marianists in 1952 in Cheviot Hills as Chaminade High School for Boys, the school opened with 114 day and boarding students. In 1969 a middle school was added and in 1972 Chaminade became coeducational. Today, as it celebrates its 70th year, Chaminade College Preparatory is the largest independent school in Los Angeles County and occupies two beautiful campuses: a middle school campus in Chatsworth with 625 students in grades 6-8, and a high school campus in West Hills with 1,220 students in grades 9-12.
Chaminade is guided by its Mission and Vision Statements, its Core Values, and the Characteristics of Marianist Education.
Mission Statement
We inspire young people to love, learn, and lead through our Catholic and Marianist traditions of a living faith, academic excellence, and moral responsibility.
Vision Statement
Chaminade College Preparatory graduates are prepared, inspired, and equipped to:
- Share God’s love by caring for others and seeking justice and peace.
- Learn, adapt, and grow with the world around them.
- Become servant leaders and positive contributors to society.
Core Values
- Love of God
- Discipleship of Jesus
- Mary as a Model
- Service to Others
- Student-Centered
- Inclusivity
- Leadership
Characteristics of a Marianist Education
- Formation in Faith
- Integral, Quality Education
- Family Spirit
- Service, Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation
- Adaptation and Change
These foundational beliefs guide a forward-thinking, intellectually vibrant, family- and community-oriented faculty and administration in preparing young people to be servant leaders and positive contributors to society.
The school is intentional in creating a seven-year experience–one school on two campuses–from middle school through high school graduation. The school is led by the president, and each campus is led by a principal. Each campus has its own administration, with the principals of the middle school and high school working closely together to ensure consistency and continuity of curriculum, culture, and values. Both principals are also members of the president’s executive council.
About the Position
Chaminade College Preparatory is seeking a faith-filled, visionary Catholic leader to serve as its next middle school principal. The middle school principal serves as the educational and faith leader of Chaminade’s middle school campus, while working collaboratively with the president’s executive council in support of Chaminade’s one school, seven-year student experience.
The middle school principal is responsible for the operation of the middle school, and oversees middle school faculty, staff, and an administrative team that includes a vice principal for academics and parent/faculty concerns; a vice principal for curriculum, infrastructure, and technology; an athletic director; a director of middle school admissions and enrollment management; a student activities director; and a director of counseling.
The principal must be committed to Chaminade’s mission, philosophy, and core values, as well as the Characteristics of Marianist Education and support and facilitate the policies and vision established by the president. The principal collaborates with faculty and administration in the development, refinement, and delivery of high-quality instruction, and in enhancing the overall instructional experience through collaboration, mentoring, and modeling best practices for instruction.
One challenge in today’s educational landscape is to maintain a high-quality overall educational experience while looking to the future of education and the inevitable changes that Chaminade must make to ensure it remains a vibrant learning community. The principal will work with faculty, staff, and administration to develop, articulate, and implement a pedagogical vision focused on innovation, professional development, and staff and program evaluation to ensure that Chaminade remains a leader in Catholic education.
Professional Qualities
Chaminade’s next middle school principal will be a student-focused, visionary, collaborative educator with experience in school administration. The ideal candidate will embrace the Chaminade community and be an energizing and inspirational individual with strong interpersonal skills. In addition, the ideal candidate will bring the following professional qualities:
- A strategic thinker with the ability to work effectively with school leaders to support a culture of learning and high expectations.
- An understanding of and commitment to Catholic, Marianist education, with the ability to articulate the school’s educational philosophy and mission to inspire and motivate constituencies.
- A student-centered educator with a thorough and current understanding of excellent teaching practices.
- An understanding of current trends in Catholic and secondary education with proven experience enhancing strong academics and extra-curricular programs and programs for student faith formation.
- A commitment to continuous personal professional development and to the professional development of middle school faculty, staff, and administration.
- A willingness and ability to work collaboratively and effectively with an executive management team as well as with the faculty, staff, and administrators who report to the principal.
- A commitment to lead and support Chaminade’s efforts to ensure that students and employees from diverse backgrounds and faith traditions feel welcome, included, and valued in the Chaminade community.
- An effective communicator across all constituencies so that all groups are appropriately informed and engaged with the school.
- An understanding of the business fundamentals involved with running a school, including marketing and enrollment management, budget management, and student and employee engagement.
- A master’s degree is required. A master’s degree in education or educational administration is strongly desired.
- Prior experience developing and administering curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programs, as well as experience supervising and evaluating faculty and staff is required.
- Prior experience as a middle school teacher is desired.
Personal Characteristics
The middle school principal will be a committed Catholic with a living faith who is mission-focused and able to motivate faculty and staff and earn their respect as an effective educational leader of the school.
The successful candidate will be:
- Relational, approachable, visible, and committed to knowing and caring for and about students and faculty alike.
- Someone who works with integrity and ethics.
- Someone who supports faculty both in their development as exceptional educators and in their work at Chaminade.
- Someone skilled at partnering with parents to ensure their constructive engagement in their children’s school experience.
- A visionary and entrepreneurial thinker who can balance the innovative energy of a committed faculty with the reality of capacity constraints.
- Someone who understands program evolution and can recognize when program expansion is warranted, as well as when sunsetting a program is appropriate.
- A collaborative leader who is skilled at delegating to a talented administrative team.
- A compelling speaker who can advocate passionately for Catholic education, the Characteristics of Marianist Education, and Chaminade, whether addressing students, faculty, or parents.
- Experienced in teacher recruiting, with a track record of hiring for mission and retaining a diverse and excellent faculty.
- Authentic, comfortable, and confident enough to be unflappable and to admit mistakes.
- Open-minded and willing to listen to others and consider differing perspectives.
- Understanding and able to connect with middle school students.
Chaminade’s Commitment to Diversity
Chaminade College Preparatory is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion and the value that a rich and diverse community brings to our school. The school’s employee culture is deeply rooted in its Catholic faith and the five Characteristics of Marianist Education. The Catholic Marianist tradition is lived on the school’s campuses every day and is evident in a sense of “family spirit” that values the faculty and staff for their unique and varied gifts and talents. Chaminade’s faculty, staff, and administration come from all faiths, ethnicities, races, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds and the community and school are stronger for it.
For more information about Chaminade, visit the school’s website at: www.chaminade.org.
How to Apply
Candidates interested in this position are asked to submit the materials listed below:
- Cover letter addressed to the Search Committee
- Resume
- Statement of educational leadership philosophy
- A list of five or more references with contact information (including phone numbers and email addresses)
Please address any inquiries or expressions of interest to:
Listing Date: November 29, 2022
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