By Kathy Kurtz Ferrari
Staff Writer
3/11/10
Milton Academy has had a presence in town for more than 200 years, but to the average town resident, its day-to-day activities go largely unnoticed.
Over the past two years, the academy was in transition, as it searched for a new head of school. The last head of school, Robin Robertson, left in the wake of a failed restructuring of the school’s identity. An attempt to drop the lower school in a budget-tightening move caused dissent and angst, ultimately leading to the school’s reaffirmation of its kindergarten-through-12th-grade format, before Robertson’s departure.
Last June, Milton Academy started a new chapter, as the community welcomed a new head of school, Todd Bland, the 12th in its long history.
Bland and his wife, Nancy, have three children, Nick, in ninth grade, and eighth-grade twins, Emily and Maggie. He returns to his New England roots after recently serving as the interim head of school at Seven Hills School, an independent K-12 school outside Cincinnati. He had served as the assistant head and the head of the upper school there for the past nine years. Previously, he taught at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, and served as a teacher, coach and administrator at Belmont Hill School.
Both of Bland’s parents graduated from Milton Academy in 1958. He attended St. George’s School, another independent school in Rhode Island, so he is no stranger to the private-school community. But he has already extended a message of inclusion and openness to bridge the perceived gap between public- and private-school education.
“This is very important to me,” he said, as he discussed his introduction to the town. “There are wonderful ties to Milton as a town and Milton Academy. And it’s clear to me that actually Milton Academy’s connections to the town of Milton are closer than many independent schools. I think there are reasons for that. …And that’s because we have many residents who work at the academy, and obviously families who send their kids here.”
He remembered his experience as a student at St. George’s, where very few of the students were from the Rhode Island town that housed the school, in contrast to students and faculty at Milton Academy. Today, 221 students of the 987 total academy students are Milton residents – 130 in kindergarten through eighth grade, and 91 in grades nine through 12.
“I think that it’s important for school communities, even those with boarding communities, to be connected to the town communities that they’re a part of,” Bland said. “And that’s something that I hope is an important part of my tenure.”
Upon his arrival, he made it a point to meet civic leaders such as Police Chief Richard Wells, Town Administrator Kevin Mearn and School Superintendent Mary Gormley. He hosted Gormley and the principals of the town’s schools for a conference at the Straus Library earlier in the winter. The gesture was a step to open dialogue and communication between educators in the town.
“As soon as he arrived, he initiated a relationship with the Milton public schools,” Gormley said in a phone interview. “He has extended himself to administrators and staff members. I’m impressed with him and thrilled for Milton Academy.”
Bland also cited a collaboration the academy has enjoyed with Milton High School, through its long tradition of speech and debate teams. Susan Marianelli, head of the speech team for Milton Academy, engaged with educators at the high school to start a debate team. The program has been successful.
“It’s good to be collaborative and see how we can help each other within the community,” Bland said.
He said there are other instances where the academy has extended its facilities to town residents, such as use of fields, skating rink or gyms for free or at a reduced rate; the Saturday Course enrichment program, which is offered to a few talented students from the public schools in grades four through eight; and the academy’s support of town businesses and employment of more than 120 residents. The school has also made Payment in Lieu of Taxes of over $1.1 million to the town for four years and recently donated $25,000 to the town for computers and information technology upgrades.
“As residents of this community, I think it’s very important that we continue this – that we continue to be seen as a resource to many groups,” Bland said. “That’s being a good neighbor.”
Bland has also made a positive impression around the campus, where parents have commented on how he is often seen attending sporting events, or teaching a special section in a classroom.
“It was made very clear to me when I was visiting Milton [during the interview process] that they wanted very much a leader, a head of school who was connected to the community and was kind of known, and knew the community well,” Bland said. “One of the things I said is I wanted to teach every grade in the school this year, kindergarten through grade 12.”
He has taught all but three classes so far, and also is teaching a transitions course for seniors this spring, to help get the oldest students ready for college. He feels becoming familiar with the students will make them more comfortable with him. If that doesn’t work, he has jars of candy lined up in his office to help break the ice for visiting students.
That fact translates to the way he feels about his work and having comfort with students. He greatly enjoys his teaching opportunities and how he has been welcomed to his new home.
“There are certain elements of my job that I don’t like so much – not many. Most of it I enjoy. But being in the classroom and being with the students is, for me, a place that I always know and I feel very much at home,” Bland said. “But it’s also, I guess, some people refer to it as, the candy.” |
