On March 31st, an email was sent to the Parker community announcing that a not-so-new face would be running the middle school office this school year.
Previously serving as Dean of Students for the Middle School, Tray White is no stranger when it comes to the ins and outs of the Parker community. “I was the Dean of Student Life for Intermediate and Middle School. The role itself combined with my three years played a huge part in me familiarizing myself with the community. The role gave me the ability to work with various teachers and grade-level teams on various projects and programming that added to the quality of student experience,” White said. White continued, saying “This may sound cliché, but I decided to come back because I believe in the school.”
“I believe in the mission, philosophy, and values of the school and that was a huge draw. For me, schools serve such an important part of the health and prosperity of our communities and society and, along with that, I believe that Colonel Parker was spot on when he stated that ‘The needs of society determine the work of the school,’” said White.
The Parker Mission Statement aligns with that role, encouraging students to act as responsible citizens and leaders. “Having the opportunity to serve, build, and lead all of the faculty/staff in their work to create meaningful learning experiences for our students, individually and collectively really drew me to this role. There is so much that goes into this effort (building healthy and positive culture -and- developing students academically, social-emotionally, and developmentally), and it’s exciting to be a steward of this work/efforts,” White said.
Current Intermediate and Middle School Dean Anthony Shaker shared similar sentiments regarding White’s time at Parker. “Working with Mr. White was great. He brought energy and joy to the position of Dean of Student Life. I remember him especially being instrumental in keeping those activities alive in 2020 and 2021, when most of those had to shift online. He realized that these [events] needed to keep going, even on Zoom, to keep kids connected with each other and engaged in important topics,” Shaker said. Junior Ayan Chawla agreed. “I came into middle school as a new student in a new state, so I really didn’t know anyone. Mr. White helped me become more acclimated to the community and made sure that I felt welcome and included. He even introduced me to other students, both new and old, and made sure that I was being taken care of individually,” Chawla said.
Before coming to Parker in 2018, White was a teacher, counselor, and administrator at Augusta Preparatory School, an independent school in Georgia. After his time at Parker, White was the Assistant Principal and Dean of academics at Sidwell Friends, in Washington, D.C. His recent role as Head of Middle School at Latin School of Chicago, White says, has taught him “how important the quality of relationships are within a school community.” White says that leading with positivity and empathy were key ways to build community that he learned while at Latin. He also shared some key differences between Parker and Latin. “The people and shared history of the communities are the biggest difference. Which for me is to be expected, right? The stories, histories, and the experiences of the people within the school, and what draws them to each community, are unique and, in my opinion, really interesting,” White said.
Beyond the assurance of his colleagues, White’s philosophy and strategies align with the Parker learning model and initiatives. “My philosophy consists of three things. First, leading with love and care: relationships, relationships, relationships. We are in a human profession and our ‘humanness’ should always come first. Second, being student-centered in decision-making. Third, having a collaborative spirit and systems that demonstrate that spirit.” The Parker mission statement states that growth is achieved “when we listen attentively to the voices of others.” White agrees. “Listening is huge! I’ve had great success structuring learning sessions for faculty and staff and parents and guardians to share their experiences in their school community.”
Colleagues and community members alike are excited about both White’s past experience and the changes they hope to see in the Middle School. “I think the Intermediate and Middle School years are a special time in students’ lives and my experience has taught me that the issues that occur regarding making connections with others, build skills with executive function and metacognition, identity development, social-emotional development, all can be challenging, but are necessary for students to grow and thrive. I also think at this point, social media, cell phones, and other global issues are especially concerning.”
White, however, has plans to make important changes in the middle school. “I’ve been inspired by this concept of psychological safety and belonging and how that can positively impact our work as adults and the student learning experience. In my first year in this role, I want to better understand all of the great work that is happening. Then, I want to work with adults and students to co-create ways to grow and enhance our ability to be a positive and healthy environment for great teaching and learning to occur,” White said. Chawla agrees. “middle school is a rough and awkward time for almost everyone. The awkward phase that everyone goes through in sixth or seventh grade is kind of unavoidable. I feel like with changes and support for the administration and teachers, these phases won’t be prevented, but more supported and easier to get through when a team of non-naïve and aware adults are helping you through the process,” Chawla said.
Though White brings his knowledge of independent school education, support from his colleagues and the Parker community will be vital in his success in his new position. “I hope that he’s able to push the community, including myself, to grow, evolve, and change,” Shaker said regarding advice he would give White. “While Parker is a school that has been around for over a century, a progressive school should be open to changing and shifting. I hope he brings some new ideas for us to try out and experiment with!”
