Tribute to Thor Kvande

ANCHORED THROUGH

CHANGE

Saints Surmount the Pandemic and Forge Ahead

+ PLUS TRIBUTE TO THOR KVANDE HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENTS ANNOUNCING GSL’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY

Celebrating

THOR KVA

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HEAD OF SCHOOL LEAVES LEGACY OF THOUGHTFUL, MEANINGFUL CHANGE AND STEADY LEADERSHIP

By Marci Woodmansee ’83, Associate Director of Communications

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June 2004: A 34-year-old Thor Kvande arrived from Maryland with his wife Dawn, toddler Claire, and baby Thomas in tow to take a new job in Memphis as Head of Middle School at GSL.

There was only one problem: The moving truck hadn’t arrived along with them … and wouldn’t, for another two weeks. So the young family began life in Memphis on air mattresses, without any of their belongings.

And no, the baby was not yet sleeping through the night!“I’m thankful I’m still married today,” Thor says with a grin.

The moving truck did finally arrive, and once they settled in, Thor was able to turn his attention to figuring out Memphis (a city of neighborhoods, not unlike his childhood Philadelphia) and his new school. Fortunately, he already knew his boss, Head of School Tom Beazley, as they had worked together before. Tom had given Thor his first real job in 1992, after his graduation from Muhlenberg College.

“He hired me as a history teacher at Woodland Country Day School in New Jersey,” Thor says. “I taught three different history classes and French, assisted with P.E. for four different grades, and coached or helped coach three sports. I wasn't making very much, but I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!”

After four years at Woodland Thor moved on, as did Tom, who would eventually join GSL as our Head of School in 1998. But the two former colleagues stayed in touch. And six years into Tom’s tenure at GSL, when he was looking for a new Head of Middle School, he encouraged Thor to apply.

“I interviewed for three days, and I still remember when Tom – in his inimitable way – called me around Thanksgiving to tell me that I had gotten

NDEthe job,” Thor recalls with a smile.

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GSL’s Middle School was facing some challenges at that time, including parent uncertainty about the program and a slight downward trend in enrollment. Thor’s charge was to enhance the fifth-eighth grade curriculum and program in a way that would spur growth and elevate the overall Middle School experience.

This he did in spades.

IMPORTANCE OF A HANDSHAKE

That first summer, there were a variety of start-of-school challenges to overcome. Like the day Thor walked out of his Middle School office on the ground floor of Morton, only to find that a bad summer storm had caused an epic leak ("and a waterfall!") down the eighth grade stairs.

There was also the Middle School class schedule to create. That summer, he got stuck on a problem that had to do with space. Walking around to find a solution, he came upon a giant room around the corner from his office, devoid of all furnishings – save for some Scouting memorabilia – that he thought might be the answer. He went to ask his Head of School if the room was available.

He did not get the response he was hoping for.

“Tom got red in the face and said loudly, ‘Don’t talk to me about the Scout Room! You can never use that space!’” Thor remembers. “When he calmed down and explained the history, I realized I’d have to go on my merry way without it. But I filed it away in my head and thought, ‘If I was ever king of the world, I would love to fix this.’”

In the meantime, Thor turned his attention to the things he could fix. On the first day of Middle School in August 2004, his arriving fifth through eighth grade students were no doubt surprised to find him outside the Middle School entrance, waiting to greet them. Not with a wave and quick hello, mind you. But with a smile, a look in the eye, and a handshake. Every last one of them. This was a new thing entirely – and an important signal that as Middle Schoolers, they were now going to be treated differently, in terms of both privileges and expectations.

That wasn’t the only change. Thor brought tools from other schools where he had worked, such as the Traits for Success, a character education component that could be woven into daily learning. He began using Chapel and advisory periods to talk a lot about citizenship, and courage, and kindness, emphasizing the importance of developing good character on the way to becoming a responsible GSL graduate. This became the perfect precursor to the Formative Five character education program – with its emphasis on integrity, embracing diversity, grit, self-control and empathy – that he guided GSL in adopting schoolwide in 2017.

ELEVATING EIGHTH GRADE

By his fourth year as Head of Middle School, Thor launched two capstone eighth grade experiences that continue to thrive in their 15th year: the Eighth Grade Chapel Talks and the Eighth Grade Internship Program.

“These were part of the larger effort to elevate the Middle School experience – for seventh and eighth graders in particular – to better attract students and families to GSL,” Thor says. “We spent a lot of time as a Middle School faculty looking

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at signature programs we could bring in, and thinking about the curriculum and how the school day was organized. We realized the importance and value of public speaking, so the Eighth Grade Chapel Talks came out of that as a way to put our oldest students in front of the community and let them share something about their GSL experiences.”

For the internships, Thor drew more from his own experience in high school in Philadelphia, where every junior completed an individual project during the month of January. With his faculty, he began thinking through how GSL could do that at the eighth grade level.

“I think some people were skeptical at first, thinking it was going to be like a ‘bring your kid to work’ day. But when they realized how we were holding our students accountable, and how we were requiring them to prepare for their internships, I think everyone quickly realized this was a different kind of program,” he says.

“The first year we launched it, we just hoped and prayed there would be enough mentors for each student, and somehow, there were. They saw a high-quality young person coming into the internship with direction and purpose and energy, and very specific things they were charged with trying to learn and find out. And many of those original mentors have come back year after year.

“We always say we have great kids at GSL,” he adds. “This program certainly proves it in how they’ve been able to perform in those settings over so many years.”

Eighth graders also started creating a class banner – designing it together in Arts Block and choosing a motto that would help unify the grade and better position them as role models for GSL’s younger students. The Class of 2009 became the first, unveiling a class banner with the theme, “Don’t Follow the Beaten Path.” The class banner is now part of the All-School Chapel processional and is carried in by student acolytes throughout the year.

ABOUT THAT SCOUT ROOM…

During his seven years as Middle School Head, Thor grew to really enjoy the challenge of putting together the schedule, thinking about how and where people moved throughout the school day and the space. Which brings us back to the Scout Room – an item that was still on his wish list to tackle when he became Head of School in 2011.

“I just felt like a lot could be gained, not just for the school, but also for the church and the Scouts, if we could think about the space in a new and different way.”

So, with the support of Board President Erie Barnes, Allison Cates, Vice President and Church Rector Richard Lawson, a Church-School-Scout team was formed that spent the better part of two years thinking and talking about ways to improve the situation. In 2016, they were ultimately able to negotiate an agreement for the three groups, which then became part of the overall Church-School Agreement in 2017. It gave the Scouts a new home in the Doan House property that the school owned, and gave the school two much-needed, Middle School classrooms, which were renovated in the summer of 2018.

“That Scout room is one of my proudest accomplishments,” Kvande says. “The fact that we got these three groups to come together – overcoming some hurt feelings and old wounds that needed to be healed and put to right – and were able to bring people to a place where they entered into the agreement willingly and even joyfully … that was huge. I think all three groups look at it as an unqualified win.”

Those rooms became important in a way Kvande never expected when COVID-19 hit. As the biggest classroom spaces available, they ended up being critical to the school’s ability to provide safe in-person learning by allowing for the physical distancing required when school re-opened in August 2020.

COVID affected everything, of course, for most of these past two school years. But Thor, carefully digging into the details, never lost sight of the top priority – keeping students healthy and in school, where they could learn best.

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THE LITTLE THINGS

Remember that handshake tradition Thor started in Middle School in 2004? Student Julia DeVincenzo would end up speaking about it in her Eighth Grade Chapel Talk in 2008.

“Courtesy has been a major part of my life at Grace-St. Luke’s, especially since Mr. Kvande came to the Middle School,” she said. “His first year as Middle School Head was my first year as a Middle School student. Every morning, when we come into school, everyone shakes Mr. Kvande’s hand. I’ve learned to be courteous by looking him in the eye, and by shaking hands the right way.”

APPRECIATING THE SAINTS

In an early Anchor magazine column as Head of School, Thor wrote about having been in meetings in the Head of School’s office many times when he first came to GSL, but how vastly the perspective differed once he moved to the other side of that desk. Diving into the Preschool and Lower School divisions and learning more about the traditions that help make a Luker a Luker were elements of the larger job that he quickly grew to love.

“There are so many things that are good and special and unique about this place," he says. “And to go into a kindergarten or Preschool classroom and just be swarmed by kids – that’s where you go if you’ve had a tough day! Just head over to the Preschool and get a few hugs, and then you’re right as rain.”

A lot of time has gone by since that young, 34-year-old dad came to Memphis to lead GSL's Middle School. The Class of 2008, who were Thor’s very first class of fifth graders, are themselves approaching 30 years old today.

No matter what the task – from giant experiential learning events like rafting with his eighth graders down the Nantahala, to the small but special things like teaching 11-year-olds how to tie a tie on their first dress uniform day – Thor carefully, thoughtfully put in the effort to improve the overall experience at this special school in Midtown, every single day.

And in so doing, he helped build the character of hundreds of students along the way, starting with the simplest of gestures...a smile and a handshake.

Special mementos kept nearby also helped maintain perspective. His office today showcases a number of keepsakes from his tenure. Take the Andy Warhol-style auction photo of the Class of 2006, for instance.

“That was my second Middle School class to graduate from GSL – the seventh graders that stayed because of the promise of change and good times ahead,” he says. "They wound up doing lots of good things, both academically and athletically, and one of the families gave that to me at the end of the year.”

There’s also a beautiful painting of the Gospel writers in procession by Lower School Art Teacher Carol Buchman. And his desk bears a cross from Father Joseph Wallace- Williams, a member of the GSL church clergy who was beloved by students and faculty alike for his heartfelt Chapel homilies.

Gifts to GSL's Scholarship Endowment to Honor Head of School Thor Kvande

As Head of School Thor Kvande prepares to bring his 18-year career at GSL to a close, we are celebrating all he has accomplished at our great school since his first day in 2004. To support the ongoing work that is so dear to his heart, we invite the GSL community to make gifts to the Scholarship Endowment in his honor. To give online, visit gslschool.mind-over-data.com. You may also mail your gift to GSL Advancement Department, 246 S. Belvedere Blvd., Memphis, TN 38104.

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THOUGHTS ON THOR

Editor’s Note: Thor Kvande has worked with six Board Presidents during his tenure. See Letter from the President on page 2 for a tribute from current Board President Paul Morris. Thoughts from the five previous Board Presidents, along with reflections from GSL’s former Head of School and three current Division Heads, follow here.

It’s strange how a school I never attended has so fundamentally changed who I have become. But that was – and is – my experience with GSL. This is, of course, mostly a result of the experiences my kids had at the school – a full 11 years of each of their lives, a time formed forever by that wonderful, strange, often magical and necessarily imperfect place.

But my own experiences at the school changed me, too. Experiences that were entirely separate from my kids. This included my time on the Board of Trustees, including two years as president of the board, which meant that I spent two years – sometimes hours a day, sometimes four or five days a week – working with Thor.

was overjoyed in 2018 when the Philadelphia Eagles won the

I Super Bowl, not just because I’m a long-suffering Eagles fan (I am) or because it was such a rare Tom Brady loss (it was), but because no one deserved that victory more than my friend, Thor Kvande. Through thick and thin, injuries and bad trades, Thor’s devotion to the Eagles is legendary. His excitement that magical season spread throughout the school, and by the end of the playoffs had extended to even the most hardened Cowboys fans. When the Eagles won, there was no question that Thor needed to be on Broad Street for the victory parade. Thor’s wonderful GSL colleagues made sure things were covered so he could go. To top off an already perfect day, students wore green and white and sang the Eagles fight song, which was captured on video for him.

But the most indelible image I have of Thor as a leader comes not from a board meeting or a parent conference or a graduation speech. It comes from the corner of Peabody and Lemaster. Drive by Grace-St. Luke’s on any given day and you’ll find Thor in the middle of the street patiently directing traffic, chatting with students, and working to keep everyone safe. I’m so very grateful for Thor’s dedicated leadership and service to our school.

Chapman Morrow Board President, 2011-13

From conquering the intricacies of swimming pool management, to dissecting the needs of a difficult overhaul of the reading curriculum, to sharing the unspeakable sadness of GSL families in crisis, to learning of staff members who had unexpectedly died, I watched how Thor was front and center for it all.

And in those two years I learned that the job of Head of School is amazing and edifying and sometimes silly and sometimes crushing. Being a Head of School is a job where some days are filled with unspoken wonders that emerge unexpectedly amid the slow-boiling chaos, and where other days are filled with sorrows barely whispered – events that are, truly, far too much to see or hear or even remember.

Thor handled it all with solidity and thoughtfulness and an unrelenting grace. I can’t thank him enough for all that he’s done.

Eric Barnes Board President, 2013-15

Recently I was looking for an old photograph and ran across a picture from GSL’s Stations of the Cross. It made me smile, looking at my third grade daughter wearing my waffle weave robe and a dish towel on her head. These “costumes” and the presentation of Stations of the Cross are very representative of the life and culture of GSL and our precious corner in Midtown. Traditions like the Eighth Grade Italian Dinner, weekly Celebration Chapel, and many others are full of joy. We cherish and embrace these traditions and experiences as a GSL community.

Our community has been nobly led by

Thor Kvande for the last 11 years. I can scarcely think of an event at which Thor has not been present. Sporting events, the Anchor Auction, theater productions, the Lisa Lassandrello 5K, the class trip to Nantahala – Thor is there. All of these events create the special community and culture that we love at GSL. He has been a strong and visible presence for our students, families, and Midtown neighbors. I am thankful for Thor’s leadership and his generous heart.

Allison Cates Board President, 2015-17

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Thor carried out the mission of the school on the daily. From the implementation of the Formative Five to the Eighth Grade Internship Program, Thor’s dedication to preparing problem solvers, confident learners, and responsible citizens was evident to me in each decision. I witnessed Thor contemplate how a decision would align with the school’s mission while also taking faculty, staff, parents, and students into consideration – a difficult task with so many stakeholders, but one he handled with dignity. It was an honor to work with him.

Doug Duncan Board President, 2017-19

We will be left with many memories of Thor’s kindness to the kids and his quiet reassuring presence during times of crises; but it is his work ethic that defines him. We had the right captain at the helm during the pandemic. COVID illuminated Thor’s conviction of his profession as a calling, not a job. No one works that hard for a j-o-b. Especially one where best efforts often lead to reproach instead of accolades. When there is no apparent solution, yet a solution is required.

As Thor worked tirelessly to steer us through these last few tough years, we are left with a living, breathing example of our beloved Formative Five. He chose these principles to guide our children to be caring adults who persevere, despite obstacles, to achieve their goals with grit and determination. I remember the day my son came home with a small carabiner on his backpack to symbolize the new character education program. These five attributes have been a great road map for him to follow.

Exemplifying empathy, self-control, integrity, embracing diversity and grit, Thor leaves an indelible imprint upon our school. During his tenure, he shored up foundational aspects of the school finances, as well as the literal foundations of our buildings. He has added talented, enthusiastic faculty and staff to our long-time Lukers. Our teaching materials and reading sources show children mirrors of their own experiences; windows into the lives of others so different from them; and doors to reach out and connect to a wide, beautiful world. Thor has gently nudged us along the path to a brighter, more loving and inclusive future, where each of our children is valued and appreciated. For all of this, we appreciate you, Thor. Good luck on the next leg of your journey. We will say so long, but not goodbye.

Liz Keough Board President, 2019-21

have known Thor since hiring him in 1992 straight out of

I Muhlenberg College as a first-year teacher. I was the newly appointed Head of School at Woodland Country Day School in Bridgeton, N.J. and was looking for a Middle School teacher who would be both a great teacher and role model. Thor fit both requirements. When I moved to Grace-St. Luke’s and needed a Middle School leader, I immediately thought of Thor. Only this time, I was looking for a leader who would take the Middle School to the next level by elevating both the academic and co-curricular programs. Thor did an outstanding job of solidifying what was strong in the Middle School and creating new and exciting offerings like the internship program.

Tom Beazley Head of School, 1998-2011

first met Thor during a Skype interview. He was warm,

I friendly, and made me feel at ease during what can sometimes be a grueling process. Thor continued to display these traits throughout my time here. Supportive and thoughtful, he made my transition from teacher to administrator an easy one. Thor gave me the professional opportunity to spread my wings. I will be forever grateful to him for believing in me to lead here at GSL. Thank you for your mentorship. You will forever be in my heart!

Cynthia Hill Head of Preschool, Appointment 2015

One of the things I admire so much about Thor is his love for GSL and the children we teach. I’ll never forget that the job description for Head of Lower School had a part that read, “must love children.” After meeting Thor, I knew that he was the one who intentionally included that vital detail in the job description. His commitment to children is visible in our school and DEI mission statements. Those are legacies he leaves behind for us to hold fast, and to realize to their fullest potential! I have learned so much from Thor and will be forever grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the incredible community at GSL.

Marti McCloud Head of Lower School, Appointment 2019

Thor has made a tremendous impact on Grace-St. Luke’s in his time here, and his fingerprints are on some of our most important signature programs: the Eighth Grade Chapel Talks, our Eighth Grade Internship Program, and class banners, to name a few. His vision for the school has strengthened our program as well as our reputation. I will be forever grateful for his guidance, support, and friendship as my career grew from classroom teacher to dean to Middle School Head. I owe him so much, and I will miss him!

Ellen Hendry Head of Middle School, Appointment 2003

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