Leadership

A Letter from the Head of School

Welcome to Berwick Academy.

Thank you for choosing to discover our school through this website. As Berwick’s new Head of School, my family and I feel so fortunate to be here and we are excited to be experiencing all of our “firsts” on the Hilltop. As you begin to explore this website, I hope what comes across most clearly is the energy, authenticity, and connectedness of our Pre-K through 12 community, and that we are one school, one Berwick.

While I am still learning all that is Berwick, it is apparent that there is something extraordinary happening here. The adults are committed to the students, to each other, and to continual individual growth. The students are engaged and kind, and are able to thrive by following their own individual passions. At the core of the student experience are the remarkable connections between students and teachers – relationships that are forged at Berwick, but often extend beyond graduation.

Founded in 1791, we are the oldest school in Maine, and are guided by our mission of “promoting virtue and useful knowledge among the rising generations.” We appreciate and embrace our role in shaping the values, character, and leadership skills of our students in addition to their academic preparation. And, while we are proud of our history, we are equally excited about our future. Our curricular philosophy focuses on five areas: student-directed learning; building skills as the goal; innovative teaching and cutting-edge curriculum; a commitment to wellness, character education, and public purpose; and building cross-cultural versatility.

Strong college preparation through skills like writing, communication, and critical thinking remains at the forefront of what we do. Our teachers are committed and passionate educators who foster an authentic love of learning. Class sizes are limited, allowing them to give students personalized attention, and those connections give faculty the ability to push them outside of their comfort zones.

After exploring this website, I encourage you to visit our campus to experience this dynamic community in person. Our monthly Berwick in Action events are a great way to see the life of the school, engage with our students and teachers, and learn more about our programs. I am proud to be a part of this school and I hope you will join us on campus soon. Your Berwick story has just begun!

Sincerely,
Jim Hamilton
Head of School

Board of Trustees

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About the Board

The Berwick Board of Trustees is currently comprised of 20 members of the community who serve without compensation. There are two ex-officio seats on the Board of Trustees: the president of the Alumni Advisory Board and the president of the Berwick Parent Community (BPC). The Board of Trustees at Berwick, as is the case with similar nonprofit institutions, has three fundamental roles:

1) To ensure that the mission of the school is being delivered and supported fully
2) To protect and support the long-term financial viability of the school
3) To hire and evaluate the Board’s singular employee, the Head of School. No individual Board member is invested with authority to act independently; all decisions regarding policy are voted on by the Board as a whole.
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Board Members

President: James Jalbert

Vice President: Paula Reid

Treasurer: Barbara O'Connor

Secretary: James Lawson

Dr. Talal Al-Shair
Alice Bentley
Steve Boyle
Lesli Friel

Lisa Goulemas

Jim Hamilton

Kennett R. Kendall, Jr.
Jason Kroll
Holly Malloy

Susan Noerdlinger
Clare O'Brien
Karen Parker-Feld

Patrick Spearman
Kristin Bailey, ex officio
Catherine Powell, ex officio

Mark Tay, President

Matthew Friel, Treasurer

Eric Katz, ’84 , Secretary

Alex Auty

Nina Binnie

Phil Cavanaugh

Jameson French

Kate Glasson

Robert Hoy

James Jalbert

Caroline Levine

Holly Malloy

Peter Martin

Lucas Merrow, ‘81

Susan Noerdlinger

Michael Schafer

Greg Schneider

Fred Siegel

Malcolm Smith

Margaret Talcott

Karen Walsh

Lesli Friel (ex-officio)

Ginger Mathews, ’94 (ex-officio)