Interview of John Suitor
Hi, my name is Theo. I'm a 7th grader at BCD, and I interviewed Mr. Suitor in January of 2020. After I shadowed in 2nd grade, the first thing I told my dad was that I was impressed that people were actually reading ‘real books.’ I've come a long way since then.
WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE?
JS: It used to be 13, but now it’s a 14.
DID YOU PLAY ANY SPORTS WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER?
JS: I did. I played in elementary school and then in high school, I played football, basketball, and baseball, and then rugby in college.
WHEN YOU WERE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CLASS?
JS: I went to the Jordan Small School in Raymond, Maine. My whole grade was twenty-five people! I was a social studies teacher that I really connected with. I specifically remember a lot of lessons on the state of Maine. I liked my math teacher a lot—Mrs. O’Neill. My best friend and I were accelerating in math in 8th grade, which was sort of unusual for that town. Just to let you know, “accelerating in math” back then meant that I was taking Algebra I in 8th grade, and that was a big deal!
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME THE PRINCIPAL?
JS: My dad was the Assistant Head of School and Dean of Students at my high school. He was so great at his job. Basically from about 9th or 10th grade on, I thought I wanted to be a teacher and see how that went and perhaps even be head of school someday. Then when I first started teaching, I had a few great mentors who recognized something in me that led them to suggest school leadership positions.
IF YOU WEREN’T A PRINCIPAL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
JS: If I weren’t in education, I would be one of two things. I love automobiles, and I am kind of handy so the notion of being an auto mechanic is really interesting to me. If not that, then I’d be a sportswriter.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?
JS: I actually do a lot of reading about current issues. I love to be active, to be outside, to bike and ski and spend time with my family. I love the water. It’s my happy place. I have a 1964 Boston Whaler that I love to spend time in.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART ABOUT RUNNING BCD?
JS: Even though BCD is a relatively small organization, it has a lot of people who love it and are extremely dedicated to it, and I would include myself among those folks. The hardest part is making sure that in our love and affection for our school that we are all on the same page in terms of what we think about our future and how we are going to get there.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITY THAT YOU HAVE EVER PARTICIPATED IN IN A BCD CLASSROOM?
JS: There are so many things I love: Preschool Olympics, Model UN, the activity that Mrs. Aleide did about the plague. Any time I can get on my tractor and give a hayride for Halloween! I love the severe weather structures in Mrs. Hamilton’s class. I love carline. I’m really lucky. I don’t feel like I go to work every day.
HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE YOURSELF AS A STUDENT TO STUDENTS WHO ARE NOW AT BCD?
JS: I moved around quite a bit as a kid so one thing I appreciate is that there are always children moving into and out of our community. I know what it feels like to be new in a place. At the same time, I’m also a sucker for tradition and longevity so the idea that someone can spend eleven years at our school is really important to me. I did not have that sense of community that we have at our school, and so I think our students benefit from that tremendously. I didn’t have a world language until I was in high school. I didn’t have music, drama, technology, or any of the specials that you have until much later in life so I think our students are fortunate. The opportunity here is unbelievable. And I was lucky I was in a family of teachers so I knew that there was more that I could aspire to than the education that I was given. Out of twenty-five students in my 8th grade class, maybe five of us went to college.
Boulder Country Day School 4820 Nautilus Court North • Boulder, Colorado 80301 • Phone - 303.527.4931 • info@bouldercountryday.org
Boulder Country Day School is a leading private school serving students 2 ½ years old - 8th grade. In partnership with our outstanding faculty and committed families, we uphold the highest standard for our balanced educational experience. Through small class sizes and innovative engagement in a supportive environment, students at BCD learn to explore their strengths and apply them to the world. Guided by our values, we believe the empowered minds that graduate from BCD will be the ones to ignite global change.
