School News
Henry P.A. Smyth Appointed 14th Headmaster of Gilman School Board of Trustees President Paul McBride announced on October 25, 2012, the appointment of Henry Smyth as the 14th Headmaster of Gilman School, effective July 1, 2013. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the recommendation of the Headmaster Search Committee during a meeting on October 25. “Henry will be an outstanding Headmaster for Gilman. He will preserve the best traditions and values of the school while ensuring that Gilman continues to evolve,” says Nick Cortezi ’84, chair of the search committee. “His vision for the future and his commitment to excellence will ensure that Gilman remains one of the country’s finest day schools.” Smyth, who has worked in independent schools for nearly 20 years, has been Gilman’s assistant headmaster since July 2010. In that role, he has assisted in the overall operations of the School, paying particular attention to faculty hiring and professional development as well as the implementation of Gilman’s LongRange Plan. “As a teacher, coach and administrator in a variety of schools, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power that such experiences and relationships can have on students,” says Smyth. “As assistant headmaster and a proud Gilman parent, I have seen up close Gilman’s mission to educate the whole boy in mind, body and spirit come to life in similar ways. That mission is what drew me to Gilman, and it is what inspires me to stay.”
A graduate of Phillips Academy Andover, Princeton University (A.B.) and Stanford University (M.A.), Smyth has been a teacher, coach and administrator at various times in his career, including positions at Charlotte (N.C.) Country Day School, St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., and the Head-Royce School in Oakland, Calif., where he was tenth grade dean and assistant director of admissions. Before coming to Gilman in 2010, Smyth spent six years as head of the Upper School (grades 4-8) at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Washington, D.C. In addition to teaching at all levels — Lower, Middle, and Upper — during his career, he has also coached soccer and basketball. Smyth’s appointment followed a six-month, thorough and comprehensive national search by the Headmaster Search Committee — a cross-section of alumni, trustees, parents and faculty members. Outreach by the consulting firm Storbeck Pimentel yielded candidates from across the country and from outside the United States. The search process involved months of candidate reviews, interviews and reference checking. “Henry has demonstrated a collaborative approach to leadership that is both deliberate and collegial,” says McBride. “He has connected with our boys, our parents, our alumni and our faculty and earned the Gilman community’s respect and affection.” Headmaster John Schmick ’67 is retiring on June 30 after six years as Headmaster and 39 years as a teacher, coach and administrator at Gilman.
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