Incoming Head of School

Dear BCD Community,                                                 August 28, 2024
 
Welcome back!  We hope you all had a wonderful summer, filled with fun family adventures and plenty of time to relax. 
 
As we all shift back into a familiar school-time rhythm together, we wanted to share some exciting updates regarding our Head of School search, and to request your help and participation in the next steps of this very important initiative.
 
The Head of School search committee has worked closely with our recruiting firm, Educators Collaborative, over the past several weeks, and we are pleased to share that our school has attracted strong interest from a large number of highly qualified and accomplished school leaders and educators from around the globe.
 
After completing a thorough set of dossier reviews, followed by remote semi-finalist interviews, we have narrowed our search down to 4 finalists for our Head of School position, all of whom are excited to join us in person to meet with the BCD faculty and staff, as well as our amazing Bulldog community of families and students.

Over the course of the next few weeks, each finalist will visit us in person at BCD, and we want to ensure that you all have the opportunity to engage with them, and to provide the search committee with your thoughts and impressions prior to us making our final selection of the person who will lead our school through its exciting next chapter.
 
Our first finalist will be visiting us on campus next week from September 4th through the 6th, during which there are two times scheduled for parents to engage and ask questions of the candidate.  
 
The two allotted parent meeting times are:

• Thursday the 5th - 2:30PM to 3:15PM in the Middle School Activity Room, or
• Thursday the 5th - 5:30PM to 6:15PM Remote via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3040289660?pwd=VjJPcS9ROXJjSlBROGhWK09wWnNuUT09)

 
We encourage as much participation and engagement as possible, and we value each community member's input on the Head of School finalists.
 
The evening before each finalist visits we will provide you with their bio and photo so you have time to familiarize yourself before you meet them.
 
After your meeting, we will send you a survey with questions about the candidate that will allow you to share your thoughts and impressions directly to the search committee.
 
Each subsequent week (Sept 11-13, Sept 18th-20th, and Sept 25th-27th), we will follow a similar pattern, sharing the exact parent session dates and times, as well as the background information about the next finalist candidate, in advance of their visit.
 
At the conclusion of our 4 finalist visits, the search committee will meet to review input from our community, faculty & staff, and search advisory committee before making our recommendation to the Board of Trustees on our choice of Boulder Country Day School's next Head of School.
 
Thank you in advance for your support and participation in this important process, and please let us know if you have any questions about the search process.
 
Kind regards,
 
Stephen Collins, Board Chair & Keri Shee, Board Vice-Chair
Head of School Search Committee Co-Chairs

April 17, 2024
Dear Shelly and Members of the BCD Board of Trustees,

Nearly eleven years ago Gail and I moved our family to Boulder to become part of the BCD community. And what a community it is! From the first moment we stepped on campus, through the Boulder floods early in our first year, and throughout the ensuing years we have had the opportunity to live and work in a school community that we are fortunate to call home. This fall and winter we've had a chance to reflect on our future, including our proximity to family, and I write today to share with you that next year, the 2024-25 school year, will be our last at BCD.

We are sad to leave and, at the same time, excited about what's to come. BCD occupies a special place for us. Two of our daughters are BCD graduates, Madison (2014) and Catherine (2018), and we witnessed first hand the magical impact of a BCD education. We credit and are especially grateful for the Boulder Country Day faculty and staff whom we believe had a great deal to do with their success. Our girls were exceptionally well prepared academically. They also learned how to be kind and tenacious, how to be a good teammate, and what it means to show up for each other.

As parents, Gail and I grew up here. BCD helped us raise three amazing young women in a world that is very different from when we started. We could not be more appreciative of the community who welcomed us in, helped us care for our family when the need arose, and celebrated with us as our girls reached for stars that once seemed so far away. 

Our decision to share this news now, 14 months in advance of the 2025-26 school year, reflects our deep commitment to Boulder Country Day. BCD needs and will use this time to find our next Head of School who will lead us into our new chapter. Our school stands on the precipice of an exciting era. We've charted our future course through a collaborative and community-wide strategic planning process, we are bringing our new Commons Building online, and we have significantly increased faculty and staff compensation to allow us to attract and retain the very best educators in a competitive national market. 

This is not the work of one person, but the work of a team, and I would be remiss not to thank those who have worked with me to achieve our goals. I thank and honor the members of the Senior Leadership Team and our faculty and staff who have been side by side with me throughout my tenure. I am also grateful to you, and the other members of the Board of Trustees. Your leadership, vision, and desire to do what's best for our students drives your decision making, and I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have partnered with such a dedicated and committed group of volunteers. 

Gail and I have not yet confirmed the details of our next adventure, but we will be sure to share them with you as they become clear. We know we want to be closer to our families, so the gravitational pull of the East Coast and our property in Maine will likely weigh heavily in our decision making. 

Finally, the Athenian Oath provides the motivation for Gail and me to continue our service to the BCD community in the coming year with a nod towards the future. Adapted for BCD, it reads:


I look forward to the 2024-25 school year with a sense of excitement, continuing my service to our students, families, and staff. It's too soon to start saying goodbye; that time will come. BCD is well prepared for its future, and I am confident that our school and its community will remain in good hands in the years ahead. 

With a deep sense of gratitude,

John H. Suitor III
Head of School

April 17, 2024
Dear BCD School Community,

After a long and distinguished career, John Suitor has informed the Board of Trustees that the next school year (2024/2025) will be his last at Boulder Country Day.  At that time, John will have served BCD for 12 years as the Head of School.  John has demonstrated great passion and unwavering dedication to our school, its mission and values, and our students throughout his tenure.  We are so thankful for his wisdom, integrity and leadership.

When John joined the school, he created a community where students could reach their full potential and families could be a part of something bigger. John has led BCD through a historic pandemic and kept our community united and connected during a very challenging time. His impact on our school has been consistent and pervasive. His initiatives have included the development of our campus with the gorgeous new Commons Building and playground, the completion of an exciting new mission and vision, and the furthering of BCD’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity.  His professional legacy has touched many schools in Colorado in his six years as the President of the Board of the Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS) including two years as the Chair of the Professional Development Committee.

Beyond all his other accomplishments, John’s most enduring legacy will be the warmth and kindness he has showered on BCD’s families and students over the years. Mornings and afternoons, you will find him at carline, warmly greeting every student by name.  At the Fall Fest, he brings his tractor to take students on an authentic hayride.  Throughout the year, John and Gail open their home for parent gatherings, fostering connection and community outside the classroom. In so many ways, big and small, John lives the big-hearted spirit of our school.

The selection of our next Head of School will be a considerable task, one that the Board of Trustees sees as its highest priority and most important responsibility.  Our Search Committee, composed of trustees, will be co-led by Keri Shee and Stephen Collins.  We will also be working with a nationally-renowned search consultant, Educators Collaborative, who will help to guide the process and facilitate input from faculty, parents, students and alumni. The Board is committed to a search process that will be as inclusive and transparent as possible to the entire school community. In this spirit, I will soon provide more information on the details of the process.  Additional information will be posted on the school website as we move forward in the weeks and months to come.

BCD embarks upon the search process from a position of strength.  We have a strong, new statement of our mission and values, an experienced leadership team, an exceptional faculty and staff, a strong academic program, supportive parents, great students, loyal alumni, outstanding facilities and a sustainable financial position.  These strengths will allow us to attract the most highly qualified individuals from across the country as potential candidates to serve as our next Head of School.

John will continue to lead BCD through June 2025 and counsel us as we search for a worthy successor to build upon his work. In addition, he will work with the Board and the Search Committee to ensure a smooth and successful transition once our next Head of School has been selected.  There will be many opportunities in the coming year to reflect upon and celebrate John’s tremendous legacy.  For now, on behalf of the entire BCD School community, I would like to offer John our deep appreciation for his years of unwavering service and devotion to this fine institution and our students.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I also wish to extend our gratitude to BCD’s faculty, staff, parents, students and alumni for your continued support and trust.

Sincerely,

Shelly Cadora
Chair, Board of Trustees