FACULTY PROFILE BREAKING theRules

SEAN TINSLEY, ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR

It’s mid-afternoon on a Tuesday in December, and the campus is blanketed with the first snow of the season and a low-hanging fog that stretches to the Potowomut River. Inside the Flynn Academic Center, a few students adorned in scarves and boots are studying for tomorrow’s English mid-term. Mike Gwaltney’s office is warmly lit and welcoming.

oh my gosh, they probably have four seasons. And so I got here and Rhode Islanders started telling me there’s only three seasons.” He is referencing that New England phenomenon where winter seems to stretch into June.

“I was born into one season. In Portland they have two. And here they say there’s only three,” he says with a laugh.

Like many in independent school education, Gwaltney has a history of coaching teams and teaching classes. (Soccer and government are his forte.)

Unlike many, however, he started his career as a college student. His first gig was at Servite High School, an allboys Catholic school in Anaheim, as a freshman soccer coach.

“I would come to campus every day at 3:00, coach the team, and then go home to go to bed. The next morning, I would go to class, and then at the end of the day, drive over to Servite and coach. The following September, I was teaching five sections of Ancient History and coaching varsity soccer.”

In his first year of coaching, he led his team to an undefeated season. In his second year, while teaching five sections of history, his team advanced to the Southern California state championship playoffs. Winning at that stage is impressive for a seasoned coach, much less a person one-year removed from undergraduate studies at the helm.

Pointing to a picture of his team after winning one of the playoff games, Gwaltney says, “In a place where there’s never any change in weather, wouldn’t you know that it was pouring rain for three straight days. We played in basically a mud bowl as opposed to a soccer game. It was so epic.”

Remnants of such a philosophy are already in place at the Upper School. From the “mindfulness room” that sits in the back of Flynn, to the “Wall of Awesome” in the Nautilus which boasts anonymous compliments for students and faculty alike, and from the eight Student Competencies driving pedagogy to the Project Based Learning strategy in service of those competencies, his finger prints are bringing to fruition Rocky Hill’s pledge to be the most innovative school in the state.

Deferring credit, Gwaltney assures that he is but a member of a team that makes the Upper School go each day.

“I am really excited about the enthusiasm that the adults and the students have about being here,” he says. “We’ve got excited students. We’ve got a committed faculty. People put in the hours. Tara Dowling comes in on weekends. All through the holidays, she’s got things on her calendar. College counseling on the day before Christmas with Tara! This kind of stuff is just amazing to me.”

A self-described extrovert and “big coffee drinker,” Gwaltney can be seen working at a standup desk with a big thermos of coffee. A running and biking enthusiast, he also stays active before work. And his morning routine includes ten minutes of mindfulness, a habit he began on a retreat with a Buddhist monk. (Two pieces of artwork in his office are from Thich Naht Hanh, whom he considers a friend.)

Gwaltney, who comes to Rhode Island by way of Portland, Oregon, looks out his window.

“I spent the first forty years of my life in Los Angeles with the exception of two years in Colombia,” says Gwaltney. He is referencing a brief period of time when his family relocated to South America for “dos años.”

“When you live in LA, you never think about weather because every day, it’s seventy degrees and sunny. So the first thing I thought when I was moving was,

Around campus, Gwaltney has accrued a reputation as a visionary, dedicated to cultivating a learner-friendly environment above all else. He is a student of classical education, but passionate to traverse new frontier. And his true north is doing what is best for kids.

“I actually don’t really like it when kids follow the rules too much. Thank goodness that Dr. King was not a rule follower. Thank goodness that the women who fought for and won the right to vote weren’t rule followers. I want my career to have been about teaching kids to have the empathy for others that is required to make the world a better place for everyone. I don’t think that happens by following rules.”

One thing has been consistent since his arrival, however: an unwavering excitement for Rocky Hill School. He already has much on his mind for next year, including an event where students could show off their learning, tentatively titled Learning Showcase Night. He passionately describes the guest list; “We’ll invite everybody: parents, relatives, dogs, cats, all the ships at sea. Come and see the great learning that has happened here on campus.”

Gwaltney eases back in his chair, his excitement giving way to a moment of introspection. “If I had gone to Rocky Hill in 2021, I would have been really eager to demonstrate citizenship. I’m really interested in helping create opportunities for students to develop a kind of empathy that’s needed to be a good citizen.”

A bright future is in store for Rocky Hill's Upper School students with Gwaltney at the helm.

PROJECT NAME: IMMIGRATION

Student Group: Upper School French III

Driving Question: How can we share the stories of Francophone immigrants and better understand the challenges that come with leaving one’s home country?

Key Components: