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6 HEAD OF
SCHOOL
peter becker
How does family factor into your life? Amy Julia and I met at Taft and have been best friends ever since. That’s the foundation of our marriage and without her... well, let’s just say that without her I don’t think the search committee would have been interested in my candidacy! We have three wonderful, rather outspoken children—Penny, who is six; William, now four; and Marilee, who is a year and a half old. My family keeps me grounded—it’s hard to get too full of yourself when you’re changing diapers and Amy Julia loves me so much that she’s happy to point out when she thinks I’m wrong. They are all excited to make The Gunnery home and we’re excited that, when they’re adults, our kids will consider The Gunnery where they grew up. What have you been up to over the summer months? Over the past few months, I have met and corresponded with current trustees, parents, faculty, administrators, alumni, residents of Washington, and not enough students. One of my primary goals at this point is to get to know the school from a variety of vantage points. Everyone I’ve spoken with shares a passion for the school. Collectively, they are the backbone of this amazing institution.
In early July, I spent a week at The Institute for New Heads run by the National Association of Independent Schools. It was an invaluable experience to get to know seventy other new heads as we were briefed by experts in the operational aspects of school life. I’ve also tried to spend some downtime with my family. I’ve been touched in particular by the outpouring of enthusiasm from alumni, as represented in particular by the stories they’ve shared with me. Many are funny, some are sad, and all of them have been touching. They demonstrate the loyalty this school engenders and the consistency of our mission—we prepare students for life. Here, students grow in character and wisdom as they learn calculus and critical thinking and make life-long friends. It’s humbling and exciting to be at the helm of such a unique community.
Marilee and Amy Julia A NOTE FROM AMY JULIA BECKER (CONTINUED) the school, which, of course, really
the hill behind the football field. They
meant getting to know the people
are already talking about dinner in the
associated with the school, we began
dining hall and their great backyard.
to believe this community might be
When I think about my role as the
the right fit. I spent a day visiting classes and talking with faculty and students last fall, and I came away with the overwhelming impression that the members of The Gunnery community cared about one another and enjoyed the school. When our children came to visit that same day, they couldn’t have been happier walking through campus and waving to “new friends” and rolling down
wife of the Head of School in the years to come, the word that comes to mind is hospitality. It’s a word that means “the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers.” Our family has already received much gracious hospitality from The Gunnery community, and I hope we have an opportunity to give a similar welcome to students, faculty, parents, alumni, trustees, and other members of the
community. I hope our home will become a place where all the members of The Gunnery community feel welcome, and a place where “guests and strangers” become friends.