NewsUpper SchoolPre-K to 8
David Hicks on Why These Changes Are Necessary
Feb 1, 2000 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
President David Hicks credits President-Emeritus Jim McCallie with leaving a legacy of talented people possessing a spirit of trust and a self-confidence that allows them “to look on change with hope and equanimity.”
Yet one might ask why change is
necessary, when, as Hicks said in an interview published in the summer 1999 edition of Darlington Magazine, “We saw [in Darlington] a healthy school.…This health is reflected in the fact that Darlington–although by no means complacent about its future–appears to feel pretty comfortable with itself.”
In his meetings with the school’s senior faculty and administrators, however, Hicks learned of several areas of school endeavor needing immediate attention as well as his staff’s eagerness to address these needs aggressively and creatively. Boarding attrition was at the top of this group’s list, and improving the retention rate is the highest priority of Hicks’ administration.
Boarding retention, which has been below the average of National Association of Independent Schools member schools for several years, is an important measure of the confidence Darlington’s families place in the school. Improving the retention rate calls for a number of changes revolving around empowering students.
The culture of the dormitories, to be renamed “houses,” will grow stronger and more positive by giving students more authority and responsibility for the management of their lives at Darlington, creating more opportunities for student leadership and involvement, compensating those faculty who are heavily invested in boarding programs more fairly and generously; offering prospective students a clearer view of what they can expect at Darlington, and re-emphasizing the importance of Darlington’s residential programs while at the same time closing the distance between the boarding and day experience.
“I believe these changes will build on the strength of community that many students and faculty already value at Darlington,” Hicks wrote in a Jan. 17 letter to parents. “They will close the gaps some feel between teachers and students, between upper classmen and lower classmen, and between day students and boarders. In this way, they will enrich all our lives and help us all to grow beyond ourselves, our cliques, our groups. They will make Darlington a healthier, more fun place to be on the weekends, and our students more self-reliant, creative, responsible, and self-disciplined.”
Yet one might ask why change is
necessary, when, as Hicks said in an interview published in the summer 1999 edition of Darlington Magazine, “We saw [in Darlington] a healthy school.…This health is reflected in the fact that Darlington–although by no means complacent about its future–appears to feel pretty comfortable with itself.”
In his meetings with the school’s senior faculty and administrators, however, Hicks learned of several areas of school endeavor needing immediate attention as well as his staff’s eagerness to address these needs aggressively and creatively. Boarding attrition was at the top of this group’s list, and improving the retention rate is the highest priority of Hicks’ administration.
Boarding retention, which has been below the average of National Association of Independent Schools member schools for several years, is an important measure of the confidence Darlington’s families place in the school. Improving the retention rate calls for a number of changes revolving around empowering students.
The culture of the dormitories, to be renamed “houses,” will grow stronger and more positive by giving students more authority and responsibility for the management of their lives at Darlington, creating more opportunities for student leadership and involvement, compensating those faculty who are heavily invested in boarding programs more fairly and generously; offering prospective students a clearer view of what they can expect at Darlington, and re-emphasizing the importance of Darlington’s residential programs while at the same time closing the distance between the boarding and day experience.
“I believe these changes will build on the strength of community that many students and faculty already value at Darlington,” Hicks wrote in a Jan. 17 letter to parents. “They will close the gaps some feel between teachers and students, between upper classmen and lower classmen, and between day students and boarders. In this way, they will enrich all our lives and help us all to grow beyond ourselves, our cliques, our groups. They will make Darlington a healthier, more fun place to be on the weekends, and our students more self-reliant, creative, responsible, and self-disciplined.”
