On Monday, April 12, a message from Principal Dan Frank was sent to the Parker community, titled “Congratulations to Colleagues and Transition Planning in the Intermediate and Middle Schools.” The email carried four sections beginning with the announcement of Intermediate and Middle School Dean of Student Life Tray White taking the position of Assistant Head of Middle School at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., which he will start in July. The email outlined the current state of the administration changes and transitions that will be happening in the Intermediate and Middle Schools for next year.

The announcement of White moving on adds to the already significant turnover happening at Parker this year, including Head of Upper School Justin Brandon leaving Parker. Head of Intermediate and Middle Schools John Novick will be leaving Parker to be the Head of School at North Park Elementary School.

As the Assistant Head of the Middle School at Sidwell Friends School, White will work with faculty on the academics of the division. “I’m able to draw on some of my teacher muscles,” White said. He will be evaluating teachers and reviewing the curriculum.

White will also have some work pertaining to what is usually called “student discipline.” White hopes to make the process of dealing with those issues much more culturally aware and conducive for a community.

White thought that his new job at Sidwell Friends School would allow him to “expand and extend on” his various experiences. He determined that the “personal and professional direction” he wanted to go in would be compatible with this new opportunity.

For White, one of the most exciting factors of the new job would be the opportunity to live in D.C.. He described the experience of acclimating to Chicago from his previous job in Atlanta, Georgia and said that he was interested in going through that again in a new place.

Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker school, meaning it practices education that aligns with the religious denomination of Quakerism. White thought that Quaker education and Progressive education, as is featured at Parker, have many similarities, which made the transition easier for him to get his head around. He also is excited about the new aspects that Quaker education presents, which will offer him new challenges and new experiences.

White will be moving on after three years of working as the Intermediate and Middle Schools Dean of Student Life. When asked about his effect at Parker, White first noted that he hoped to bring his “full authentic self” to Parker. White had recognized the great things that were happening in the Intermediate and Middle schools, and his goal was to make sure that “that speeding train didn’t slow down.”

The message from Frank included many of White’s other accomplishments. It mentioned his approach to Intermediate and Middle School activities and affinity groups, his work pertaining to student travel and the summer bridge program, as well as his help onboarding new advisors, figuring out how to have school during the coronavirus, and helping to bring other programs to students.

Sixth Grade Science Teacher and Team Leader Peg Zerega described White’s effect in the Intermediate and Middle Schools. “No matter who you were,” Zerega said, “if you had something to say to him, he listened and he made you feel like whatever you had to say was important to him.”

Zerega noted that as an advisor in the seventh and eighth grades, White was able to connect with students and teachers which informed his advisement on many matters of planning and policy changes. White also assisted Middle School Counselor Reyna Smith in putting together eighth grade programming dealing with various topics in health.

Intermediate and Middle Schools coordinator Tierra Moore called White a thought leader. She noted that he has been an “amazing coach” for Parker athletics in both the Middle and Upper Schools. “He comes into the building with great energy,” Moore said, “We’ll miss his humanity.” Seventh grade Math Teacher and team Leader Chris Stader noted that White had done a nice job of giving chances for students to shape their Middle School lives by creating clubs and giving input when they wanted to.

The third section of the message from Frank was titled, “New Role for Intermediate and Middle Schools Dean of Student Life.” According to the message from Frank, the position of Intermediate and Middle Schools Dean of Student Life will be posting immediately. The position will have more responsibilities pertaining to disciplinary issues and will work more closely with the faculty and the new Head Intermediate and Middle Schools, Vahn Phayprasert.

The new Intermediate and Middle Schools Dean of Student Life responsibilities will be more like that of the Upper School Dean of Student Life, Joe Bruno. The exception to this is that the Intermediate and Middle Schools Dean of Student Life will no longer be in charge of student activities.

The second section of the message from Frank was titled, “Congratulations to Tierra Moore.” Intermediate and Middle Schools Coordinator Tierra Moore has been in her position for almost two years, and next year she will be gaining the additional title of Intermediate and Middle Schools Director of Student Activities. 

That position has previously been incorporated into the responsibilities of the Intermediate and Middle Schools Dean of Student Life. For Moore, this title will entail coordinating activity sponsors, communicating with students, and oversight of all other aspects of student activities in the Intermediate and Middle Schools.

As coordinator, Moore has had a lot of administrative responsibilities, figuring out the logistics of many different pieces of Intermediate and Middle School programming.

White said that in the past, the jobs of Intermediate and Middle School Dean of Student Life and Middle Schools Coordinator have had a lot of overlap, including student activities. He thinks that having Moore assume those responsibilities will introduce more seamlessness to student activities and planning. “I am really excited for her to take that on,” White said, “ I think she’s gonna do a great job at it.”

Zerega predicts that as Intermediate and Middle Schools Director of Student Activities, Moore will listen to new ideas, and then take effective action to make them happen. Zerega thinks that Moore has cultivated a good relationship with students that has and will continue to make her a successful administrator.

“Ms. Moore is fantastic,” Stader said. He added that she “really shows a passion in caring for the kids.” He is confident that Moore will be a successful Intermediate and Middle Schools Director of Student Activities.

Novick has accepted a job at North Park Elementary School as Head of School, a position he will assume in July. “He has an opportunity to really shape the future of an entire school,” Zerega said, “which is very exciting.  His new colleagues will find him always ready to help, generously and without delay. That was his approach to his work from the day he arrived at Parker.”

Zerega also praised the abundance of experience possessed by Novick’s replacement, Vahn Phayprasert. According to the fourth section of the message from Frank, Novick and Phayprasert will begin the transition process in “late April and early May.”

According to Stader, Phayprasert will have the chance to work with the “middle school leadership team” as well as Novick to ensure that he is prepared to assume the role. Stader recognized that a transition of this sort can be initially “scary,” but he also expressed his excitement to navigate through the transition.

Moore sees the upcoming administration changes as both a set of challenges and a set of opportunities. She notices the appropriate balance between nerves and excitement for the new makeup of the Intermediate and Middle Schools’ leadership.

“The leadership this year was extraordinary in kind of a changing atmosphere,” Zerega said. “I think the people who are already hired and who will be hired are solid.” She was confident that with the guidance of experienced teachers, the new administrators would successfully help the Intermediate and Middle Schools thrive. 

Zerega is confident that after a year that has been heavily affected by COVID-19, next year’s changes will not present very much discoordination. When asked about the effect that these changes would have on the Intermediate and Middle Schools, Zerega said “I think that if there was going to be a tumultuous year, it just happened.”