GETTING TO KNOW HEAD OF SCHOOL ANDY SURBER

By Brenda Berry

With a year of celebration at GSL comes what some are calling a homecoming for Dr. Andy Surber, who started as GSL’s new Head of School in July. Surber served as GSL’s Head of Lower School from 2009-2013, and he is thrilled to return to the school he continued to love for nine years while working at Laguna Blanca School in California. I recently sat down with Dr. Surber to learn how things are going in his new role, what he loves about GSL, and what he has planned for the future. (And pizza. I learned a lot about pizza. More to come on that…)

Growing up in a rural farm town in Illinois, life for Surber was always tied to his school. It’s like a scene from a movie: Friday night football games, close friendships with the same classmates for more than 13 years, and attending the school’s musicals, games, and gatherings. And then it was time for him to decide what’s next in life. The obvious answer for Surber? Education.

“My entire childhood and social life revolved around school,” he says. “When I think back, I can honestly say that I truly enjoyed all of my time in school growing up.” In college, Surber pursued a degree in education. In the summer months, he worked at Camp Emmaus, a church camp in Illinois. These experiences reaffirmed that he was on the right path in life. “Working at a church camp allowed me to see educators and other adults who really cared about youth formation,” he says. “I was inspired by how they truly engaged with children and encouraged them to embrace their talents and creativity. I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life.” That’s not his only transformative experience from college. He also met his wife Mary. As Surber explains, they had many classes together, as both were pursuing child development majors. Throughout their college years, Andy and Mary shared their time and talents by volunteering in schools and after-school programs. After college, Surber did his student teaching in a first grade classroom. Next, he taught third grade for about nine years. In addition to spending many years coaching football, basketball, and track and field, Surber held roles such as middle school tech coordinator, assistant head of middle school, and interim head of middle school. Then, in 2009, former GSL Headmaster Tom Beazley recruited Surber to Grace-St. Luke’s to be the Head of Lower School. He, along with Mary and their sons Keenan ’17 and Logan ’19, came to Memphis and quickly embraced GSL as their home. Though Surber left GSL in 2013 to accept a position at Laguna Blanca School in California, he always held on to hope that he would one day return. “In the nine years that I was working in California, I always kept up with GSL,” he says. “I loved my time at GSL as the Head of Lower School. Our boys had four incredible years here, and I felt that it would be a dream to one day return should the right position become available.” And in the fall of 2021, it did. “A few of my Memphis-based friends reached out to me when the Head of School position was posted,” Surber says. “They wanted to make sure it was on my radar. My friends knew how much I loved GSL and Memphis, and when the position was open, I decided it was worth it to see if my talents were aligned with what the school needed in its next leader.”

The Surber Family: Mary, Andy, Keenan ’17 and Logan ’19

Taking on the role of Head of School requires a lot of time, energy, and learning. For Surber, having previous experience at GSL is a bonus, but he doesn’t assume that things are the same after nine years. “It certainly helps that I spent four years working at Grace-St. Luke’s, but as with any school, I know GSL has changed and grown over the years,” says Surber. “I continue to focus on remaining open-minded to learn about GSL today.” Surber said five characteristics have stood out to him since becoming Head of School: • The incredibly dedicated and professional faculty and staff • The joyous, engaged students • How so many former families and alumni hold GSL close to their hearts • The collective sense of hope from all stakeholders • The importance of our Episcopal identity and the connection between the school and church As Surber continues to learn and lead in his first year, he isn’t interested in change for the sake of change. He is digging deep, having conversations, and listening to what the community has to say. One way Surber is doing this is through what he has named his “Listening Tour.” As of the publication of this issue, Surber has met with more than 100 constituents, asking the same five questions in each conversation: What’s your favorite restaurant in Memphis? Who has the best barbecue in Memphis? What is the best thing about GSL? What does good teaching mean to you? Is there anything you want to share with me about GSL? “I wanted to start building relationships with people, and in a unique way, food unites us all,” Surber says. “These conversations are also helping me identify the positive attributes of GSL that we all appreciate. They are also helping me identify the strengths of the school as well as the things that need more attention.” Through his Listening Tours, meetings, and conversations, Surber has witnessed firsthand why GSL’s community continues to be its most special characteristic. “GSL is rooted in strong relationships,” Surber says. “The community spirit is alive and well, and I am excited to build on that this year and in the years to come. I am so impressed with the faculty and staff, and together we are

going to enhance the academic experience, re-establish our closeknit community with COVID somewhat behind us, better connect our divisions, and position Grace-St. Luke’s as the school of choice in Memphis.” Perhaps most importantly, Surber made it clear that he wants to be a leader who honors the past while keeping an eye on the future. “I want to be a change agent with intention,” he says. “This year,

I am focusing on relationship building. Working alongside the leadership team, faculty, and staff, and with the support of the Board of Trustees, I am committed to making sure students are at the core of our decision-making in all that we do.” Surber is also fully embracing GSL’s Episcopal identity and its call to respect the dignity of every human being. “This is foundational to our work and this community,” he says. “It is critical that we make sure every child feels a true sense of belonging at GSL. That, paired with a commitment to meeting the learning needs of each individual student, is what will continue to make Grace-St. Luke’s stand out from other schools, and I am honored to be a part of our great work.”

With his trademark bowties, unique socks, and love of food, Surber brings a fun, energetic personality to Grace-St. Luke’s. So, not surprisingly, when asked to share something about himself that no one knows, he didn’t share anything about a special adventure or hidden talent. Instead, he talked about his pizza research project. “When I was in Santa Barbara, I was doing pizza research just for fun,” he says. “My goal was to have a slice of Neapolitan pizza from every pizza place in the area. With each slice, I would rate its performance in areas like quality of ingredients, presentation appeal, and flavor. The data would ultimately determine which pizza place had the best Neapolitan pizza offering.” Unfortunately, COVID interrupted his research, and he left California with the project incomplete. So the next time you’re at a local restaurant or pizza joint, don’t be surprised if you see him there. And if he’s eating pizza with an unusually intense focus, he’s probably just continuing his “just-for-fun” pizza project. What does his pizza research project have to do with his role as Head of School? Nothing! But it does illustrate how committed and passionate he is about things he loves. “I love restaurants like I love schools,” he says. “Both provide fun, energetic environments where you get to know people in meaningful ways.” Just as he dug into what makes the best pizza, Surber is eager to examine the academic experience at GSL, and to dig deep into what it takes to elevate that experience to ensure academic excellence from preschool through eighth grade.

The story of Dr. Surber wouldn’t be complete without sharing his "joke of the day" tradition, which started during lunch back when he was GSL’s Head of Lower School. “I can’t recall the details, but something funny happened, so I shared it with students,” he says. “After that, I started telling a joke every week at lunch. This year, it’s been fun to continue this tradition by sharing a joke or two with all students on Fridays during Celebration Chapel. “The best part is that students know that if the joke is great, awful, or somewhere in-between, there is only one acceptable response: a collective, single ‘HA.’” You can’t help but smile on Friday mornings when you hear the giggles after Surber’s joke of the day. Just one piece of advice, Dr. Surber: Leave the dad jokes at home. One, two, three: “HA!”