Head of Middle School
Start Date: July 1, 2024
Co-ed Boarding & Day School, Grades 6-12; 535 students
Middle School, Grades 6-8; 100 students
112 W Delaware Ave, Pennington, NJ
Mission
The Pennington School is committed to developing individual excellence in all of its students.
Beliefs
- Our Students fully engage in the Pennington experience. They seek personal excellence and aspire to lives of dedication, perseverance, resilience, integrity, and service.
- Our Faculty members unreservedly commit themselves to our students and their optimal learning and understanding. Passionate about their professional discipline, they are dedicated to staying current with best practices and pursuing professional development. Our faculty members serve as mentors and role models, forming meaningful relationships with students both inside and outside the classroom.
- Our Parents share a sense of responsibility for the well-being and development of our students and actively support the School’s mission.
- Our Academic and Co-curricular Environment combines high expectations for excellence with the means to help each individual student achieve success in preparation for college study.
- Our Preparation for college and life centers on our students’ developing sound habits of mind, effective communication skills, ethical decision-making, a global perspective, and the self-confidence to think and act both independently and collaboratively.
- Our Community believes that optimal learning takes place through multiple experiences. Our culture reflects an abiding belief in each student’s desire and ability to learn. Our students develop a sense of responsibility for themselves, for others, and for the world in which they live. Our community is one of inclusion, open to diversity of opinions and people, united in our purpose, and dedicated to continuing the values of honor, virtue, and humility.
A Thriving Independent School in the Heart of New Jersey
The Pennington School was founded in 1838, when secondary education was considered a luxury in the United States. Nevertheless, the New Jersey Conference of the Methodist Church established the Methodist Episcopal Male Seminary at Pennington, opening its doors with three students. Housed in what is currently the center section of the “Old Main” building, students pursued a “virtuous education.” In its early years, students at Pennington boarded at homes near the School and were required to attend the Methodist or Presbyterian Churches in town, twice on Sundays.
Today, Pennington sees its long history come alive when it looks at the profile of its current community. The student body represents over twenty different religions and over thirty-five different countries and their cultures. Over thirty percent are students of color and about thirty-five percent receive some level of financial support from Pennington. An appreciation for and understanding of different learning styles informs the School’s teachers in their pursuit of excellence, and the Pennington community is grounded in the core values of honor, virtue, and humility. It is the richness of its history and its long-held belief in individual excellence that provides the School with its source of deep Pennington Pride.
Approximately 140 of Pennington’s students are boarders, with the remainder being day students coming to campus from the surrounding communities. About half of the School’s teaching faculty live on campus. While Upper School students make up a significant majority of the boarding population, a small number of Middle School students also live on campus.
The Pennington School has been committed to educational excellence for over 185 years. Long before most schools began to identify and provide services for bright students with learning differences, Pennington opened its Cervone Center for Learning in 1975. For bright students who learn differently, this small and selective program provides individualized academic support within the School’s innovative and engaging curriculum, preparing students for college with a 100% success rate for college admission.
Pennington, New Jersey is a charming small town whose center is a short walk from the School’s beautiful and leafy 55-acre campus. Dotted with small shops, restaurants, and services, Pennington is immensely liveable – in fact, it was named one of the “best towns for families” in the state by New Jersey Family magazine. It is located about 15 minutes from Princeton, and just an hour from both New York City and Philadelphia.
An Outstanding Middle School Leadership Opportunity
The Pennington School seeks a Head of Middle School who enthusiastically embraces and champions the School’s values of honor, virtue, and humility. The successful candidate will bring a professional approach distinguished by enthusiasm, compassion, and grace. With experience in an independent school setting, ideal leaders will reflect:
- A commitment to the mission of Pennington and a community that deeply values an abiding belief in each student’s desire and ability to learn
- A genuine love of, and experience with, the unique academic, developmental, and emotional needs of middle school students
- Excellent communication skills and a warm, approachable demeanor
- The ability to build relationships quickly in the Pennington community
A full description of the position can be found here.
How to Apply
Please contact George Sanderson with any questions or to learn more about this opportunity. Candidates interested in this position are asked to submit the following materials by February 15.
- EC Summary Sheet and Disclosure Statement (contact George Sanderson for the documents)
- Letter of Interest addressed to the Head of School
- Current Resume
- Statement of Educational Leadership Philosophy
- A list of five or more references with contact information (name, relationship to candidate, phone, and email address)
Application materials should be sent electronically via email to:
George Sanderson, Partner, Educators Collaborative
gsanderson@educatorscollaborative.com – 609-213-0684
Listing Date: December 1, 2023
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