Teri Schrader Named New Head of Watkinson School

The Board of Trustees of Watkinson School is pleased to announce the selection of Teri Schrader for the position of Head of School, effective July 1, 2014. Schrader is currently Upper School Head at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, NY.  She will succeed current Head of School John Bracker, who last spring announced he accepted the position of Head of School for the Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA, after a 17-year tenure at Watkinson.

Schrader’s appointment marks her return to Watkinson as she began as Director of Theatre and became Director of the school's prestigious Creative Arts Program from 1982 to 1996.  Schrader will be the 9th head since the School's founding in 1881. She was selected by a Search Committee composed of trustees, administrators, parents, and faculty members, with the aid of the educational consulting firm, Gregory Floyd & Associates, Inc. The Board of Trustees approved the selection at a special meeting on November 25th.

Watkinson’s mission is to develop in our students the power to shape their lives and the world around them.  Board President Peter Lisi comments, “I am excited and confident that Teri is uniquely qualified to take the helm of Watkinson and, using our mission statement as the rudder, chart a strategic course for the school.  She is a brilliant and committed educator who puts each student’s best interest at the center of her work.  That has been Watkinson’s practice for decades.  I am sure that the combination of our mission and Teri’s leadership will make for incredible synergy.”

The Search Committee Chair, trustee and current parent Brian Fierston, said in announcing the selection, "We are very excited Teri is returning to Watkinson. She impressed the Search Committee and members of our community with her passion for education, proven leadership skills, and collaborative management style.  We envision Teri being an exceptional Head of School possessing the skills necessary to lead Watkinson into its bright future."

In accepting the position, Ms. Schrader commented, "I am honored and excited to be Watkinson's next Head of School. I have always had a deep and abiding respect for Watkinson, and am thrilled to return to the place where I learned to teach- the place where I first saw the difference a school can make in the lives of young people. "

An educational leader with an extraordinary national reputation, Schrader’s most significant accomplishments while at The Packer Collegiate Institute include her work in helping to implement the school's ambitious strategic plan which calls for curricular innovation, including the development of Interdisciplinary courses, an international travel program, and a two-week intersession. While at Packer, Ms. Schrader played a central role in providing professional development to support teachers in the change process. Prior to her appointment at Packer, Ms. Schrader served for eleven years as Principal of the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School in Devens, MA, where she was named Head after serving three years as Lead Teacher for Arts and Humanities.  For the past eighteen years, Teri also served as a member of the School Reform Initiative and has designed and facilitated professional development institutes and programs nationally, working with faculty from hundreds of schools interested in exploring the connection between teaching practice and student learning. Ms. Schrader is a founding board member of the School Reform Initiative, and currently Chair of the SRI Board.

Those who have worked with Teri, including former board members and other educators whose children attended her school, describe her as “amazing with kids; my most trusted mentor for 15 years; someone who sees things that others don’t see; one who cares deeply about all people but who has the courage to make the hard decisions; and the person I admire most in education.”

Ms. Schrader and her husband, March, an art teacher and playwright, are looking forward to becoming part of the Watkinson community. They have two adult sons, Henry and Jake, and a beagle, Bob.

Hartford’s oldest independent school, Watkinson is a co-ed day school for grades 6-PG.  The school’s next open house is December 3 at 6pm.