Gifft Hill ScHoolHead of School

St. John, U.S. Virgin IslandsAugust 2019

www.giffthillschool.org/

The PosiTionServing the community of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands for over four decades, Gifft Hill School is a remarkable place—not only because of its extraordinary setting, but because of the School’s demonstrated commitment to providing local children with access to a rigorous education which emphasizes experiential learning through an enriched environment within a compassionate community. Gifft Hill School serves students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, and takes pride in its diverse student body, dynamic faculty, and low student-to-teacher ratio. Add to these the School’s individualized course offerings, unique range of elective and extra-curricular programs, service learning, growing athletic program, and fundamental commitment to the idea of personal growth as a measure of success and you begin to see what makes GHS such a stand-out.

Gifft Hill School has appointed Paul Johnson to serve as Interim Head of School for the 2018-19 school year. Johnson is an experienced School Head of US public and independent schools, and has served as President of the American College of Sofia in Bulgaria. Johnson will guide the School through this transition year while maintaining the trajectory set forth by the previous administration and Board of Trustees, and he will play an active leadership role in advancement activities.

The schoolGHS embodies excellence through the academic rigor of its programming, as well as through its commitment to providing students with deep experiential learning opportunities, fostering a compassionate community within and beyond the boundaries of its campus, and working to envision St. John’s environmental future. In 2015, GHS was awarded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Champion Award. In 2018, the School was featured on the PBS docuseries “Visionaries,” a segment that celebrated the economic, racial, and cultural diversity of St. John’s community and the ways in which the School seeks to reflect and reinforce that diversity.

On what would have been the School’s second day of the 2017-2018 school year, the island of St. John took a direct hit from the first of two back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes, Hurricane Irma. Two weeks later, St. John endured the devastating Hurricane Maria. Gifft Hill School sustained damage from both storms, but

1The Search Group | CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

MISSIONOur mission is to educate, challenge, support and empower students to ignite their passion for learning in preparation for college, careers, and their roles as stewards of our island and global community.

FAST FACTSFounded: 1978

Location: St. John, US Virgin Islands

Type: Coeducational day

Campus Size: 14 acres

Grades Served: PreK-12

Total Enrollment: 133

Total Faculty: 21

Student-Teacher Ratio: 6:1

Avg. Faculty Tenure: 8 yrs.

% Faculty w. Adv. Deg: 61%

Board type: Appointed

# of Board Members: 9

Accreditation: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

through the hard work and commitment of the Board, staff, and a team of volunteers, the School was able to open its doors to students just five days after the second storm passed. Upon seeing the crippling impact of these events on the island’s economy, Gifft Hill School Board and leadership made the decision to open its doors to all local students and to waive their tuition for the academic year. This is just one example of the ways in which GHS lives out its mission and truly serves the community of St John.

In 2017, the School also renewed its accreditation with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. A summary and full report from the accreditation team is available on the School’s website.

school hisTory

Gifft Hill School formed with the merging of the Pine Peace and Coral Bay Schools in 2004. Pine Peace School, the elder of the two schools, opened in 1978 to serve preschool-aged students. In the early 1980s, Pine Peace School received a generous donation of land from the Shailer Bass family on Gifft Hill. After relocating its campus several times in its early years, Pine Peace School was then able to construct its first building and expand to Grade 3. Subsequent land donations from the Bass and Shleiffin families prompted further expansion and construction through the decade. By 1990, Pine Peace School had earned accreditation, rebuilt its facilities following damage from Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and expanded once again to serve students from preschool through Grade 6.

The Coral Bay School was founded by Scott Crawford and Sabrina Robert in 2000 as the first independent middle and high school in St John. Enrolling 13 students in grades 7 through 9 in its first year, the School added a grade level each year for the following four years, growing enrollment to 85 students by 2004. That same year the two schools merged on the Gifft Hill

2The Search Group |CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

3

campus, becoming the “St. John School” and graduating its first senior class. In 2009, the School received a donation of a 4-acre parcel of land, connecting the upper and lower campuses to create the contiguous 14-acre campus it enjoys today.

In 2014, Dr. Laurie Bottiger was appointed Head of School of Gifft Hill School. Dr. Bottiger was instrumental in the completion of the School’s Brand Purpose Study in 2015 as well as in leading the GHS community through the challenges brought on by the September 2017 hurricanes. The School recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and is widely recognized on the island for its contributions and commitment to the St. John community.

AcAdemics

The GHS curriculum in grades K-12 is based on the National Core Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts, the Next Generation Science Standards for Science, and a blend of California, Massachusetts, and US Virgin Islands standards for Social Studies. GHS’s celebrated Early Learning Center provides preschool and pre-kindergarten students with an enriching program where children learn through active play. The program features a low student-to-teacher ratio (1:8 in Preschool, 1:10 in Pre-K) and follows the Creative Curriculum, a national curriculum endorsed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. GHS’ youngest students sing and dance, draw and paint, listen to stories, work on puzzles, build with blocks, and engage in math and literacy activities. They are encouraged to create, explore, and most importantly, have fun.

Students in the Middle School (grades 6 through 8) build their core academic knowledge of language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science in courses that encourage critical

The Search Group | CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

thinking and application of content in real-world contexts. Interdisciplinary, field-based learning is a large part of the middle school experience. Wherever possible, Middle School teachers at GHS collaborate with local organizations such as the National Park, St. John Historical Society, and the University of the Virgin Islands, taking student learning outside the traditional classroom walls and into the living laboratory of their island community. Students focus on developing their writing skills by composing in a variety of styles for purposes spanning all subject areas. Middle School students participate in an exploratory wheel of elective offerings, sampling the wide range of enrichment available at Gifft Hill School. These include physical education, health, art, music, culinary arts, EARTH labs, computer technology, and robotics.

The wide breadth of curricular offerings extends into the High School, where students in Grades 9 through 12 enjoy small class sizes and a variety of courses in the five core disciplines. Academic subjects are covered in depth at the High School, incorporating a high level of discussion, debate, and hands-on application. Every high school student at GHS is challenged, with Honors courses offered in all core subject areas. Where appropriate, faculty will also facilitate a student’s pursuit of college credit through the Advanced Placement Examination Program. All high school students receive individualized attention throughout the college application process. Various electives allow students to pursue their interests in classes such as: Photography, Video Production, Culinary Arts, Fine and Performing Arts, Food Production (EARTH), Sustainable Building, Agriculture Business, Yearbook, and more.

sTudenT suPPorT services

GHS believes deeply in supporting every child to reach his or her potential. For those students who require accommodations or modifications to the learning program to close academic gaps or provide appropriate levels of challenge, a Student Support Team is created to develop individualized learning plans for students. This team—which includes the student’s teacher, parents or guardians, a learning strategist, school counselor, and (when age-appropriate) the student him/herself—meets regularly to review data related to student success and to revise intervention plans as needed to best support each student.

4The Search Group |CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

5

AThleTics

Students at GHS participate and compete in many different sports. Gifft Hill School offers Elementary, JV, and Varsity sports programs for both boys and girls throughout the school year, with competitions on St. Thomas and St. John. The School’s outstanding athletic field is the site of near constant student activity—some playing soccer at one end while others engage in a volleyball match at the other, with still other students cheerleading on the sidelines.

Gifft Hill School is proud to house the finest athletic field in the Virgin Islands on its campus, thanks to the generosity of anonymous donors. In the spirit of its brand purpose and values, Trayser Field is open and accessible to the entire St. John community. Like much on the island, interscholastic athletics in the area were impacted by the damage caused by the September 2017 storms. GHS Athletic Director, Barbie Barry, has worked very hard to revive the School’s sports programs, and students were back in action on the School’s courts and fields by Spring 2018.

The Search Group | CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

GHS ATHLETICS

FALL SPORTS • Arawaks Football • JV Flag Football • JV/Varsity Girls’ Volleyball • Cheerleading • Elem./JV/Varsity Cross

Country

WINTER SPORTS• Elementary Basketball • JV/Varsity Boys’ Basketball • JV/Varsity Girls’ Basketball • Swim Club • Archery Club

SPRING SPORTS • Elementary Soccer • JV/Varsity Soccer • Elementary Flag Football • Archery Club

6The Search Group |CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

sTeAm ProgrAms

Gifft Hill School’s commitment to the integration of STEAM disciplines in preschool through grade 12 is evident in a number of their signature programs. Talented faculty deliver instruction in a range of specialized electives. Students at the lower campus (Preschool—Grade 5) participate in weekly art and music classes, while technology skills and engineering principles are intentionally built into their daily instruction in core content areas. Students in the Middle School participate in an exploratory wheel which includes visual art, music, culinary arts, and the school’s EARTH program. In addition, partnerships with St. John School of the Arts, New England Youth Theater, and Iowa State University provide GHS students with enriching extracurricular arts and engineering exposure throughout the academic year.

MinimestersIn addition to a strong core and elective course catalog, Gifft Hill School’s academic program also features a unique “mini-mester” program. During two one-week sessions (fall and spring), students immerse themselves fully in an intensive applied-learning experience. Mini-mester offerings are designed to allow students to apply academic concepts and skills to tangible, real-life challenges and situations. Some past mini-mester courses have included: week-long Shakespeare immersion; small and large craft marine navigation, SCUBA certification; CORE Jr. reef monitoring and lionfish removal; woodworking; video production; podcast creation for a variety of local historic sites; hiking and geocaching; holistic health; farm-to-table catering; culinary intensives such as pastry making and cooking for special food trends like sushi making and French cuisine; and a variety of work-study placements with local business partners including The Westin and Caneel Bay Resorts.

The STV/ Roseway Tropical Marine Science ExpeditionEach year, Gifft Hill School’s 8th graders spend a week aboard the sail training vessel Roseway on a life-changing learning expedition. While en route on a course that stops in St. Croix, Culebra, Culebrita, and Vieques, students conduct marine science experiments related to ocean acidification, Sargassum seaweed, water turbidity, invasive species, and marine life dissections. They also spend time reading and discussing “literature of the sea,” which includes works like Old Man and the Sea and The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. The experience also offers transformative opportunities for leadership development and team-building as the students become responsible for the handling of the ship’s systems.

7

New England Youth TheaterTwice each year, GHS’s middle and high school students are given the incredible opportunity to be part of school theater productions under the direction the New England Youth Theatre, based in Brattleboro, Vermont. NEYT is founded on the passionate belief that young people can run their own theatre with the guidance of theatre professionals. NEYT strives to create an atmosphere of harmony and respect where children and adults can work together as equal creative spirits, fostering initiative, positive mental attitude, kindness, and teamwork.

Broadway Comes to St. JohnEach year fourth graders at GHS look forward to teaming up with peers from other schools on island to participate in “Broadway Comes to St. John,” a collaboration with Broadway actors and choreographers through St. John School of the Arts. Students work together with the Broadway professionals for three weeks in preparation for performing an original musical. The culminating production is performed in front of a live audience and is a highly anticipated event on the island.

Dancing ClassroomsThe School’s Dancing Classrooms program, taught by certified faculty of Dancing Classrooms Virgin Islands and supported by GHS classroom teachers, exposes GHS fifth graders to the fundamentals of ballroom dancing. Students not only learn dances like the foxtrot, tango, and rumba, but they develop grace, elegance, and cooperation as well. The program also integrates lessons on the cultural traditions of the countries from which the dances originated. The program concludes with a culminating performance at the School, followed by a competition at the Reichhold Center on St. Thomas.

The Search Group | CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

communiTy service

Gifft Hill School incorporates community service and philanthropy into the curriculum, believing that the experience of sharing the valuable resources of time, hard work, and facilities, positively benefits GHS students as well as the community they serve.

Every year, Gifft Hill School shows its appreciation for the St. John community through its annual service day. Organized into teams, GHS faculty and students across all grade levels engage in and complete important service projects for non-profit organizations and people in need across the island.

Always inviting suggestions from the island community, GHS varies its service projects from year to year. Examples of past projects include: maintenance for the library, fire station, churches, and St. John School of the Arts; providing companionship and musical entertainment for nearby senior centers; cleaning the island’s beaches; and painting and repairing community landmarks. All members of the GHS community engage in these important service days, fostering a love for and culture of giving back to the community.

8The Search Group |CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

9

AbouT sT. JohnThe smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John comprises 20 square miles and is home to approximately 4,170 people. The community, which is reflected in the student body of Gifft Hill School, encompasses Afro-Caribbean families with long histories in the Virgin Islands, recent immigrants from the U.S. mainland, and economic migrants from across the Caribbean. The economy of St. John depends almost entirely on tourism and civil service employment. Despite their substantial economic, ethnic, and cultural differences, the people of St. John are committed to identifying common ground and working together. Sixty percent of the land area of St. John is national park land, providing natural habitats for resident and migratory birds including cuckoos, warblers, and hummingbirds. In the east, the mangroves at Hurricane Hole support corals and anemones while dolphins, hawksbill, and green turtles call the island waters home. St. John features stunning white sand beaches and secluded bays as well as several natural and historic sites, including the Reef Bay Trail & Petroglyphs, Annaberg Sugar Plantation Ruins, and Peace Hill Ruins. Ferries from Cruz Bay Harbor provide access to the larger and more populated island of St. Thomas as well as Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. The Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas offers direct flights to Boston, New York, Charlotte, Miami, San Juan, and other major airports.

Gifft Hill School offers the only high school program on St. John. The island has one public school, the Julius E. Sprauve School (JESS), which serves students through grade 8. The public high school for St. John students is Ivanna Eudora Kean High School located in Red Hook, St. Thomas.

The Search Group | CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

oPPorTuniTies & chAllenges The next Head of School will face the following opportunities and challenges:

• Close relationships among teachers and students• Welcoming community for new students and families• A broad, experiential curriculum that serves a wide range of needs and interests• Strong fundraising tradition that will need ongoing development• Fundraising supports extensive scholarship program; campus needs new and renovated

buildings• Residents are stretched and still in recovery mode from the 2017 hurricanes• Enrollment needs to recover, too, despite competition from St. Thomas schools.

QuAliTies & QuAlificATions of The nexT heAd of schoolThe next Head of School will ideally possess most or all of the following qualities and qualifications:

• Significant educational leadership as a visionary, innovative, strategic thinker• Track record of promoting equality, diversity, mutual respect, and fairness• Success in recruiting top faculty and supporting their professional development• Track record of effective fundraising in coordination with Board and Advancement teams• Excellent communicator who engages the island community and embraces diversity• Resilient, flexible, visible, and approachable at the school and in the community• Willingness to embrace and thrive on island living, both its joys and its challenges• Ability to act as head cheerleader and champion of the mission of Gifft Hill School• Experience in international education and second-language skills a plus• Experience with campus development preferred.

10The Search Group |CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

how To APPlyInterested candidates can contact the consultant for additional information and a discussion of the position. To be considered, applicants will need to submit (electronically as separate PDF documents) the following materials:

• Cover letter expressing interest in the Head of School position;• Current résumé;• Statement of educational philosophy and leadership practice; • List of five references with name, phone number, and e-mail address of each (references

will be contacted later in the process and only with candidate permission)

To:

frederic f. wessonSenior Search Consultant

fred.wesson@carneysandoe.comCell: +1-917-656-8783 | Skype: fred.wesson1

Office: West Bath, Maine, USA

cArney, sAndoe & AssociATes200 High Street, Suite 610

Boston MA 02110phone: 617-542-0260 | fax: 617-542-9400

www.carneysandoe.com

11The Search Group | CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

12The Search Group |CS&A www.carneysandoe.com

GHS BRAND PURPOSE

At Gifft Hill School, we are committed to academic rigor through experiential learning and compassionate community in our enriched

environment.

ACADEMIC RIGOROffer small classes and low student-teacher ratios

Individualize college and career preparation

Set high expectations supported by tailored instruction

Focus on critical reasoning and the ability to invent and adapt

COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITYInstill the importance of respect, integrity and cooperation

Value all members of our community as crucial to our shared success

Ensure a welcoming and supportive family atmosphere

Give back and pay forward to our island and global community

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Use our gardens, Park and the sea as living laboratories

Employ innovative faculty to engage and inspire every child

Create project-based instruction and variety of extracurricular opportunities

Integrate world-class arts and EARTH instruction into GHS curriculum

ENRICHED ENVIRONMENTCelebrate our diverse and inclusive student body

Expand our horizons through island and global partnerships

Offer a safe campus setting focused on sustainability