Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/96436
POINTING AHEAD An Interview with Randall Dunn A fter a months-long search process and input from the entire Latin community, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted last November to appoint Randall Dunn as Latin���s next head of school. Dunn comes to Latin from The Roeper School, a preschool-12 independent school in Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham, Michigan, where he has served as head since 2004. Here Dunn shares his thoughts with Latin Magazine on collaboration, leadership and the future of education. What do you enjoy about working in schools? I went into teaching after graduating from college because I enjoyed being with kids. From my own experience, I also knew that education has the power to change lives and by doing that, change the world. All of us who have committed our lives to working in schools appreciate those great moments when we know we���ve made a profound connection, opened a child���s eyes, broadened a perspective or ignited an intellectual passion. There is such tremendous energy in schools. Every day is completely different ��� there is no opportunity to get bored. Who wouldn���t want this job? What do you feel was your greatest accomplishment while at Roeper School? My job was to make the school the best place possible for its students, teachers, alumni and families, so everything ��� large or small ��� that furthered that goal feels like a great accomplishment. I would say that I am most proud of the fact that every single one of my accomplishments was a result of teamwork, open communication and a strong sense of shared vision. As head of school, no decision was made lightly, and no decision was made alone. A number of major team-effort projects saw significant results during my tenure. For example, we increased annual giving to the school by establishing a major gifts program and developing a stronger culture of giving at Roeper, neither of which had been an integral part of the school���s past. We focused the faculty���s attention on articulating the curriculum and made programmatic changes based on the results of their conversations. We created new avenues of professional development for teachers and staff, which enhanced opportunities for both groups. ���I���m not a teacher: only a fellow traveler of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead ��� ahead of myself as well as you.��� ��� George Bernard Shaw, from Randall Dunn���s educational philosophy What are some of the reasons you decided to come to Latin? As all of you know, Latin is a great school with a great reputation. When I was first contacted about the position, that was what drew me in. As soon as I arrived for that preliminary visit, everyone I met ��� from trustees to students, teachers, administrators, staff and parents ��� made me feel completely at home. I knew pretty quickly that Latin is where I need to be. My daughters, Hunter and Chasey, felt the same way when they spent a day shadowing sixth- and seventh- grade students and attending classes. My wife, Liz, knew she already had friends in Chicago by the time she had finished lunch with a group of Latin moms. We have been very happy at Roeper, and leaving that community won���t be Latin School of Chicago 5