Head of School Search

List of 7 items.

• Meet the Finalists: A Message from the Co-Chairs About Forums

  Dear Harborlight Community,

   

  Happy New Year! Our search for a Head of School has ramped up, and we want to give you an update on the process and timeline. As our Head of School search moves into its final stages, we anticipate a very busy and exciting period ahead.
  
  

  As you remember, the search committee met in December to review candidates. After robust evaluation and discussion, we selected 6 candidates to interview via Zoom. We are thrilled to announce that four outstanding finalist candidates will come to campus later this month and in early February. Please mark your calendar for the open forums, which will provide you with an opportunity to hear from our finalists and also engage in a Q&A session.

  
  We encourage you to participate in the process by welcoming our candidates, taking advantage of an opportunity to learn more about them, and helping to enhance their understanding of and appreciation for Harborlight. Please check your email for updates containing information about our timeline over the next three weeks. After each candidate's visit, community members will have an opportunity to share feedback with the search committee via a survey. After fully vetting the feedback from our community, the Search Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees for a new Head of School to begin July 2024.
  
  

  Reaching this final stage of the search is the result of a thorough and intentional process, and we are excited for our broader community to meet this group of highly talented candidates. Thank you in advance for your engagement and support during this important time in school history.
  
  

   

  Warmly,
  Dean and Brandi

  Search Co-Chairs

   

• January 2024 Update from the Committee Chairs

  Dear Harborlight Friends,

  Happy New Year! We are excited to provide you with an update on the progress of the Head of School Search at Harborlight Montessori.

  After receiving a substantial number of applications, our consultants at Carney Sandoe have meticulously reviewed candidate dossiers throughout December. We are pleased to share that this thorough process has allowed us to narrow down the candidate pool to those who strongly align with Harborlight's values and mission.

  Moving forward, we are eager to announce that we will be conducting semi-finalist interviews with the six candidates over Zoom. These interviews will take place next weekend, providing us with the opportunity to delve deeper into each candidate's qualifications and vision for our school.

  The final phase of the search will involve bringing a select few candidates to the Harborlight campus towards the end of January to early February, scheduling permitting. This in-person interaction will offer a more comprehensive understanding of each candidate and their potential fit within our vibrant community.

  As part of our commitment to transparency and community involvement, we want to emphasize the importance of your role in this process. The Harborlight community will have the chance to engage directly with the finalists during open forums, which will include Q&A sessions. Additionally, we will be seeking your valuable feedback through follow-up surveys. Your insights will play a crucial role in the decision-making process, ultimately shaping our recommendation for the new Head of School.

  We aim to conclude this significant process by late February 2024, with the Board's goal being the appointment of our new Head of School.

  Should you have any questions, suggestions, concerns, or feedback, we encourage you to reach out to us via email at search@harborlight.net or directly contact our consultants: John Faubert (john.faubert@carneysandoe.com) and Burke Zalosh (burke.zalosh@carneysandoe.com).

  Your continued support and engagement are pivotal to the success of this endeavor, and we appreciate your dedication to Harborlight.

  Sincerely,

  Dean & Brandi

• October Update from the Search Committee Chairs

  Dear Harborlight Friends,

  We are writing to thank you for taking part in our community input survey and the community outreach sessions that took place in September. We were inspired by and appreciative of your commitment to the enduring values of Harbolright, as well as your thoughts on the most important qualities desired in our next Head of School.

  Community Feedback

  Many themes emerged consistently across both our community survey and feedback sessions, affirming what we all value most about Harborlight. The most prevalent themes included our dedication to Montessori, our committed faculty and staff, a strong sense of community, respect for childhood, and a learning environment where students feel free to explore and take risks. Qualities and skills most desired in the next Head of School included strong educational and teaching experience, a love for children, an inspirational leader who has an ability to connect with all constituent groups and is a skilled communicator. Indeed, our community shares a united sense of who we are and what makes Harborlight so special, as well as our priorities for moving the school forward.

  Position Description

  Coming out of the community input phase of our search, our consultants at Carney Sandoe, John Faubert and Burke Zalosh, assisted us with crafting a position description that will be circulated to prospective candidates. We believe this position description, which provides an overview of Harborlight, our history, current and future needs of our school as well as desired qualifications and qualities of the next Head of School, will help both inform and compel the best candidates to engage in our search process. The position description is now available.

  The Path Forward

  With the community input and position description phases completed, our next phase of active outreach and recruitment is underway. Over the coming months, our consultants will be working diligently to attract and assess interested and qualified candidates from a broad range of sources in the school universe. The consultants and Search Committee will review candidate application materials and invite the most promising candidates to interview in late fall/ early winter. Based on these interviews, the Search Committee will select a number of candidates to come to the Harborlight campus as finalists for extensive interviews and meetings in late January or early February. At this phase of the search, we will engage in an extensive reference checking process. Additionally, the Harborlight community will have the opportunity to engage with finalists in open forums that will include Q&A sessions with follow- up community input surveys so that we may factor your impressions and feedback into our decision-making process and ultimate recommendation. The Board’s goal is to appoint our new Head of School by late February 2024.

  Thank you again for your involvement in and support of our process up to this point. As we reflect on our experience thus far, we are heartened by the strong devotion to Harborlight expressed by all constituent groups who have participated, and the shared sense of duty of our community to carry this wonderful school forward.

  We remain committed to open communication and transparency throughout this process. If you have any questions, suggestions, concerns or feedback, or if you have someone to recommend for the Head of School position, please email us at search@harborlight.net or contact our consultants directly: John Faubert, john.faubert@carneysandoe.com and Burke Zalosh at burke.zalosh@carneysandoe.com.  

  Thank you for your continued support and engagement in this important process.

  Sincerely,

  Brandi Johnson and Dean Tsouvalas

  Co-Chairs, Search Committee

• Search Timeline

  Phase I:
  CS&A consultants, John Faubert and Burke Zalosh, interview Harborlight constituents to ensure a comprehensive, inclusive, and diverse set of views about the school. This informs the school profile/position description and supports further refining the criteria in the selection process for the next head.  

   

  As part of the search for the next head of school at Harborlight the Search Committee, with help from our consultants, John and Burke, disseminate and collect a brief online survey to capture valuable feedback from as many members of the Harborlight community.

   

  Phase II:
  Coming out of the community input phase of the search, consultants at Carney Sandoe, John Faubert and Burke Zalosh, assist the Search Committee with crafting a position description. This position description, provides an overview of Harborlight, its history, current and future needs of the school, and the desired qualifications and qualities of the next Head of School.
  
  Phase III:
  Search Committee reviews potential candidates and will screen those to bring forward to engage with Harborlight constituents (dates to be announced- late fall/early winter events).
  
  Phase IV:
  Finalists are selected to visit campus and engage with the Harborlight community.
  
  Phase V:
  The Search Committee makes a recommendation to the Harborlight Board of Trustees for a vote. Once the candidate confirms their agreement with Harborlight, an announcement of the new Head of School will be made to the community. (expected, February 2024)
  

• Letter from the Search Committee Co-Chairs

  September 21, 2023

   

  Dear Harborlight Friends,

   

  We are reaching out to provide you with an update on our Head of School search process and to alert you to some important upcoming activities. 

   

  As you know, we have recently retained Carney, Sandoe, & Associates (CS&A) to lead the search for our next Head of School. With the help of our consultants at CS&A, we are launching a global search for our new Head of School. Throughout the process, we are committed to keeping the community informed while also respecting the confidentiality of the candidate recruitment process. 

   

  A vital component of the process will be a visit to the school by our consultants John Faubert and Burke Zalosh on Tuesday, September 26, and Wednesday, September 27 to meet with parents, faculty, administrators, staff, trustees, and students to develop a highly informed profile of the qualities and abilities that our school community is seeking in its next leader. It is critically important that we hear your thoughts and receive input from you throughout the search process. These meetings will be an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about the search and to voice your ideas about the qualities you value in our next Head of School.  Please mark your calendars to attend one of these sessions.

   

  Parents are invited to attend one of two open sessions:

  Tuesday, September 26,  at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

  Wednesday, September 27, 8:30 am - 9:30 am

   

  Times for faculty and staff to meet with the CS&A consultants will be distributed internally.

   

  All interested parties will also have an additional opportunity to provide feedback by participating in a community-wide, online survey. On or about September 26, we will email you a link to a confidential survey so that you can share your views. We strongly encourage all members of our community to participate in the survey, as this will be another important avenue through which CS&A and the Search Committee will be able to capture the valuable insights of each constituent group. 

   

  With input and information gained from on-campus meetings and from our community survey, we will complete a final Harborlight Head of School position profile, which is one of many ways we will be publicizing this search. To keep the search timeline on track, our consultants will be conducting preliminary screening of candidates this month and after preliminary and semi-finalist interviews during the fall, we will identify a group of finalists to bring back to the School for public, on-campus interviews/forums this winter. Flexibility is a key component of this process, so please understand that the timing of some of these events may shift as we proceed. Updates will be provided through periodic emails and a dedicated section of the school’s website will provide additional information.

   

  The ultimate responsibility for hiring a new Head of School rests with the Board of Trustees. To aid in that effort, the Board has appointed a Search Committee comprised of trustees, faculty, current and former parents. This group brings a deep understanding of Harborlight Montessori and represents a broad range of perspectives and voices.

   

  The members of the Search Committee are:

  1. Brandi Johnson, current parent, Board Vice Chair, and Search Co-Chair

  2. Dean Tsouvalas, Board Member, Search Co-Chair

  3. Eileen Caruso, current parent, Board Chair

  4. Sue Sullivan, Upper Elementary Teacher

  5. Cynthia Perreault, Lower Elementary Teacher 

  6. Jose Iglesias, current parent 

  7. John Cusolito, former parent, Board Member 

   

  If you have any questions or concerns about this process, or if you have someone to recommend for the Head of School position, please email us at search@harborlight.net 
  
  

  Please also feel free to contact our consultants directly. Burke Zalosh is available at burke@carneysandoe.com, and John Faubert is at john.faubert@carneysandoe.com. 

   

  The Board of Trustees is committed to finding an extraordinary leader who embraces Harborlight’s mission and values and can lead our school into an exciting and successful future. Thank you in advance for your participation and support in this important initiative. 

   

  Brandi Johnson, Search Co-Chair

  Dean Tsouvalas, Search Co-Chair

   

• Letter from President of the Board, Eileen Caruso

  September 13, 2023

   

  Dear Friends of Harborlight,

   

  It is with deep admiration and appreciation that we reflect on the leadership and career of Paul Horovitz, Harborlight’s Head of School, who has announced his retirement for June 2024. Paul’s impact on the school and its mission is immeasurable, and his legacy will live on through the students, parents, faculty, staff, and trustees who crossed his path over the past 10 years. We owe Paul a debt of gratitude for navigating Harborlight through dynamic transition and subsequent strengthening and stabilization. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I convey our immense gratitude to Paul for his outstanding service to Harborlight Montessori. We accept his decision to retire as Head of School and wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

   

  One of the primary roles of Harborlight’s Board of Trustees is to help identify the next Head of School and, although the announcement is still fresh, we have been preparing for this transition for many months. With an eye toward the future, the Board of Trustees has thoughtfully retained Carney, Sandoe & Associates, the preeminent firm in

  independent school leadership, to lead our search. With their help, we are launching a global search for our new Head of School.

   

  We have also appointed a Head of School Search Committee, to be led by trustees Brandi Johnson and Dean Tsouvalas. This committee will work closely with Carney, Sandoe & Associates on all aspects of the process, from defining a job description to participating in the final candidate interviews. In the coming days, Brandi and Dean will

  communicate an update on our search committee and process and alert you to several opportunities to gather input from Harborlight’s important constituent groups. We are committed to finding a leader who can build on the momentum that Paul has created,

  and we are confident that the position of Head of School will attract many talented leaders.

   

  Harborlight is an exceptional community, made up of outstanding faculty and staff, and a supportive parent body. The Board of Trustees wants to reassure our community that the important work of our school will continue without interruption. Please join us in

  celebrating Paul’s unwavering commitment and years of service to Harborlight. His leadership and contributions have left a lasting impact that will continue to benefit generations of students to come.

   

  Sincerely,

  Eileen Caruso

  Chair, Board of Trustees

• Letter from Paul Horovitz to Harborlight Community

  September 13, 2023

   

  Dear Harborlight Friends,

   

  This is my tenth year as Harborlight’s Head of School. I look forward to spending each day with a strong team of talented colleagues who are passionate about their mission and in a school full of children who are excited to engage, explore and experience as they grow.

   

  I also know that an important part of growth – both for individuals and institutions – is change. With that in mind, I am writing to share with you my decision to retire at the end of this school year in June. It is the right time for me, and for the school.

   

  We have accomplished a lot together in a decade. When I arrived in 2014, the school was working to establish a new identity and culture for Harborlight following a merger, an achievement that we celebrated during last year’s 50th anniversary. We have built a strong year-round, all-day Montessori program, deepened student learning through

  Experience Weeks and strengthened our support of children and families by investing in student support resources. We have prioritized professional development and improving compensation. We navigated the COVID years, balancing safety and community while maintaining academic achievement. We came together as a

  community to raise funds for a new bus and have addressed infrastructure needs, big and small. We have built a solid financial foundation, and enrollment is strong. And we have worked hard to nurture a sense of connection among all of us – students, families,

  faculty, and staff. I am proud of all that we have accomplished together.

   

  I am confident that Harborlight is in good hands, with the leadership of a committed board of trustees, a talented faculty, and an administrative team whose love for the school is exceptional.

   

  I am grateful for the privilege of being part of the story of this wonderful school, and I look forward to watching it continue to grow and enrich the lives of all who come here to learn and to teach.

   

  Sincerely,