Head of School Search

November 18, 2024

Dear Northstar Community,

The repeated use of the words “inclusive” and “personalized” characterized the 81 responses to the recent online survey that gathered information from the Northstar community for the Head of School search. On behalf of the Search Committee, we thank each of you who took the time to complete the questionnaire and share your views on the qualities sought in our next Head of School and the priorities for the next few years. The importance of community participation in the search process cannot be overestimated.

While a variety of thoughtful opinions reflected the range of thinking in our School community (faculty/staff, administrators, parents, alums, and trustees), we are pleased to report that several clear themes emerged from the survey, including:

• individualized support and inclusivity
• community and tradition
• dedicated staff and family involvement
• a desire for a compassionate, community-focused leader

These survey results, in conjunction with the on-campus interviews conducted by our search consultants, are instrumental in helping shape the direction of the search. Our consultants at Southern Teachers prepared a slide deck summarizing the survey results, which we invite you to view here.

Using the information from the survey and focus group meeting, the Search Committee, in partnership with ST Search, crafted a Position Profile that summarizes Northstar and our community and outlines the goals and responsibilities for our next leader. The Position Profile ensures that our Head of School leadership opportunity is presented and marketed effectively to the most qualified candidates.

Though every search is unique, and these dates could change, we are working with the following timeline moving forward:

November/December: Advertise the position and build a candidate pool
December/January: Search committee interviews semi-finalist candidates
Late January: Finalist candidates visit campus
Early February: Search committee proposes leading candidate to Board of Trustees
Late February: Board announces new Head to the school community
July 1, 2025: New Head of School officially begins

While ST Search will use its extensive networks to build a candidate pool, we also welcome nominations from our school community. If you know someone who would serve our school well based on the Position Profile, please contact me at headsearch@northstarva.org so our consultants can follow up.

Thank you to everybody who participated in getting us to this point. We will continue to update you as the search progresses.

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard Bennett

Search Committee Chair

October 17, 2024

Dear Northstar,

As you all know, Crystal Trent announced in May that the 2024-25 school year would be her last. Since then, the board has established a search committee to assist them in finding the best candidate to fill this position. The following people have generously offered their time to serve on the committee:

Dr. Richard Bennett – Board Chair

Mr. Rob Benaicha – Vice Chair

Dr. Tracey Deal – Secretary

Mr. Lemuel Doss – Immediate Past Chair

Mr. Rob Hershey – Board Member

Northstar Faculty & Staff Representative

The search committee’s first task was to hire a professional search firm to assist us. After reviewing proposals and interviewing several firms, we selected ST Search and Consulting in Charlottesville, VA, because of its stellar reputation for understanding the unique culture of schools and its excellent past work with us.

The consultants from Southern Teachers have hit the ground running. They will be on campus on October 30 to interview various constituent groups. The results of these meetings and other information the school has provided will be used to create the position profile, which will be used to market Northstar and the Head of School position. This profile will be disseminated nationally through advertising media and the consultants’ networks. It will also be posted on our website for our entire community to see and share.

Meanwhile, our consultants are already busy sourcing candidates. They will handle the receipt of resumes, conduct phone interviews, and perform initial reference checking. We expect a strong pool of candidates to narrow down the semi-finalists. We will conduct interviews with the semi-finalists later this fall and further narrow that group down to about three finalists, who will be brought to campus and interviewed by the search committee and various stakeholder groups, likely in late January.

Our goal is to identify the new Head of School and to make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees by March 1, 2025, with that person accepting and an announcement made to the school community soon after.   This will allow Crystal and the new Head of School ample time to interact before the July transition.

This is a very exciting time for our school and we encourage you to contact us with any questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard Bennett

Search Committee Chair

Who is leading the search process?

The Board of Trustees is responsible for selecting and hiring the next Head of School.  To facilitate the search process, the Board created a search committee to accept and assess candidate applications and recommend an outstanding applicant to the Board.  Recognizing that selecting our next leader is a critical milestone for the school, the Board has engaged ST Search to serve as consultants.  ST will be an invaluable resource throughout the entire process, from development and posting of the job description through final selection of the new Head of School and assisting in the transition.

Who is on the search committee?

Rob Benaicha
Dr. Richard Bennett (Chair)
Dr. Tracey Deal
Rob Hershey
Lemuel Doss
Faculty Representatives (2)

What is the expected timeline for the search process?

November/December: Advertise position and build candidate pool
December/January: Search committee interviews semi-finalist candidates
Late January: Finalist candidates visit campus
Early February: Search committee proposes leading candidate to Board of Trustees
Late February: Board announces new Head to school community
July 1, 2025: New Head of School officially begins

What is the Position Profile?

The Position Profile is the document that will be used to market Northstar and the Head of School position. It was created using the information obtained from a wide variety of community members.  This profile has been disseminated nationally and internationally, through advertising media (such as educational leadership organizations) and the consultants’ networks. Click here to see the Position Profile.

What is the role of the search committee?

The search committee’s role is to direct the search process.  The committee vetted and proposed ST for Board approval, coordinated the input from the school’s varied constituent groups, and worked with ST on creating the Position Profile.  The committee will work with ST on narrowing the candidate pool and interviewing semifinalists.  Based on those interactions, the committee then will narrow the field and organize finalist visits for the community.  The committee will propose its top candidate to the Board for selection as the new Head of School.  Upon the Board’s approval, the committee will help to facilitate the leadership transition.  One of the primary responsibilities of the search committee is to keep the school community informed and engaged throughout the entire search process, while respecting the confidentiality of the candidate recruitment process.

What is the role of ST Search?

The ST consultants will advise the search committee throughout the process, based on their years of experience in the industry.  They helped create the Position Profile, which they have used to market the Head of School position.  Over the coming weeks, ST will interview candidates and check references before presenting dossiers for a pool of candidates to the search committee.  The consultants will help prepare the search committee and other groups for semi-finalist and finalist interviews and facilitate the flow of feedback between the candidates and the committee.  Finally, they will advise the search committee during the transition period.

What is the role of the Board of Trustees?

The Board is responsible for hiring the next Head of School.  Trustees will meet the finalist candidates in the winter and, acting upon the recommendation of the search committee, make the appointment of the next Head of School.  In making its decision, the Board will ensure that the next Head of School is the best fit for us, based on the school’s areas of focus and the Board’s strategic plan.

What is the role of parents?

Representatives of the parent community were invited to participate in focus group sessions facilitated by our ST consultants, and parents were asked to participate in a community-wide survey.  A group of parents will be invited to a Q&A session with the finalist candidates in the winter. Throughout the search process, parents are encouraged to share their thoughts and questions with the search committee via email at headsearch@northstarva.org.

What is the role of faculty and staff?

Faculty and staff will be actively engaged during the search.  Faculty members met with the ST consultants in the fall and were asked to participate in the online survey. Additionally, faculty and staff will be invited to meet the finalist candidates during their on-campus visits in the fall.

What is the role of students?

Students were invited to meet with our ST consultants, to share their thoughts on what makes our school special and what qualities they would like to see in the next Head of School. Student insights will be sought again in the winter when the finalist candidates are on campus.