Nov 8 By Morgan Theil. '26

“Politics is life. Politics is not your life.” 

These were the words that greeted students as they gathered in Kate & Dyke Brown Hall to hear from guest speaker Jane Coaston, an opinion writer for The New York Times, former senior politics reporter at Vox, and former host of the popular podcast, “The Argument.” Coaston was on campus to talk politics and policy with the entire Athenian community, including both upper and middle school, as well as parents and guardians, as part of the Community Education Series. She discussed the upcoming election, the importance of civil discourse, and her experiences covering politics and policy as a journalist.

From the very beginning of her talks, Coaston emphasized the importance of policy over politics. She explained the difference, saying “Policy is why the school is where it is here, why the road is where it is here, why there are stop signs and bike lanes and parking lots and restaurants and walls and doors and exit signs that are lit up because that is a policy decision. Policy really matters to me. Politics is like the horse race and [...] that is less important to me. It's how you get here, but it's not the end point.”

Both upper and middle school students had the opportunity to ask a variety of questions about the upcoming presidential election, the Electoral College, the state of the nation, freedom of speech in schools, and navigating social media in politics.

Middle School Head Justin G. said, “I felt like her energy was really suited to the middle schoolers. She kept it light, kept it fun. Where she really shined was in her response to the questions from the kids. I think the one question that really stood out for me was, ‘How do you manage home when your parents either have a different opinion than you or if your parents have a different opinion from each other.’”

On the topic of social media, which many of Athenian’s students use, whether it’s YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram, Coaston said, “It's really important to remember that social media is not a vector, it's not a window, especially because we've seen how algorithms can be used because they want to ratchet up interactions. And the best way to ratchet up interactions on social media is to make people mad. I think that it's really important to recognize that.”

Finding reliable sources is not easy, especially with people spreading false information. Based on her own experience, Coaston said, “Something that's useful to me is getting not just a lot of news sources, but also a lot of sources of opinion, getting an idea of what the other side is saying, not to agree with it or something, and not to use it as rage bait. You don't need that. But just to understand, hey, some people are seeing this differently, here's how they're talking about it.”

Reflecting on her visit, Coaston said, “I absolutely loved it. The only thing that surprised me was the kindness of the students and faculty. What an amazing environment. Nothing -- and I mean nothing -- matters more to me than making sure kids feel heard and supported and listened to. Anything I can do that makes folks younger than I am feel involved and encouraged, I will do.”

Upper School humanities teacher Stephanie M., who helped organize the event, echoed Coaston’s thoughts about what is important for students right now. “Our elections have become so contentious that it's important that kids have an opportunity to keep processing what's going on in the world,” she said.

Coaston reinforced this message and asked students to “Give people space and grace and recognize that what you have in common is bigger than what makes you different.” Junior Aryanna M., who was a moderator at the evening discussion, agreed with Coaston, and added “I think we need to do better in figuring out an environment where we can be more open minded and less like, ‘I need to say my part and you can't change my mind,’ but more so just listening to each other.”

“We label things as good or bad or evil or just, I think the world is very gray and complex and when we get so tied to one side being good or right or wrong, then we lose the ability to have civil discourse. … That's why I want kids to be nice and empathetic and curious and open-minded and willing to change their views, which is hard because politics can also be really tribal and it's hard to get out of our tribes,” said Stephanie.

Aryanna said, “At Athenian, we are a democracy and we have the ability to change policies in our school. I think it's important to talk about politics outside of our school because it is life. It's like Jane said, it's how policies get made and it's how things happen.”

Coaston offered some final advice: “It's important to be thinking about what matters to you. What are things that you see in the world that you wish were different? Find out ways in which you or others could help make them different. You may not be old enough to vote, but you're old enough to count. And you're old enough to matter.”

May 28 By Morgan Theil. '26

In most schools, hiring committees for key roles primarily consist of faculty, staff, and board members. At Athenian, however, students are involved in making these decisions. The search for a new Head of School was no different, and the entire Athenian community—students, faculty, and families—were involved in the process. In collaboration with the search firm Storbeck Consulting Company, the search committee held a national outreach campaign.

Search Committee Co-Chair and Board Chair Jon N. wanted to ensure that the process resulted in the best candidates and fit for Athenian. He felt that a variety of voices needed to be included and said, “The Board felt strongly that given this opportunity, including as many voices and perspectives as possible was critically important. We felt it was vital to have Athenian professionals on the committee. Our group was composed of five trustees and four faculty and staff.” Athenian trustees serve on the board and in various committees that focus on different initiatives relating to the future of the school. Stephanie M., Amy R., Emily S., and Matt Z. were the four faculty and staff members involved with the hiring process.

Another important part of the search process was including students’ voices. “Student interaction with the consultants and finalists was crucial to the process as they are the ones that live the Athenian life. Students are the ones that can most clearly articulate the impact of the school on their lives. The decisions made by the Head affect teaching and learning,” said Jon.

Junior Koen F., a student chosen to be a part of this process, said, “I just think it's important that students have a say because they're the ones who are going to be feeling the impact, arguably the most out of everyone. And they should have a say in who the main guiding person over school is going to be.”

A panel of Athenian students brainstormed questions about the candidates’ priorities, how they would listen to student voices, and what they would do to integrate the middle and upper school students more. Students also asked about which Pillar resonated the most, as Athenian’s IDEALS – Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, and Service – are an integral part of the school’s foundation. “I was looking for someone who would prioritize the things that I love most about Athenian, which is the adventure, environmentalism pillar. For me those are some of the reasons why I love Athenian and why I've been here since sixth grade,” said Koen.

With a national search, the candidates’ backgrounds and experiences varied widely. Junior Maya B. said, “We had some candidates from more administrative perspectives and backgrounds and some college professors and people that were heads of other schools, but none of the candidates were the same.” She appreciated student involvement in getting to know the candidates and learning about the role of Head of School. “Being able to take part in the process and have students talking to them makes us students feel empowered and also educates us a little bit more of what the admin's roles are and board of trustees,” she said.

Some of the qualities that were prioritized for a new Head of School, according to Jon, included “proven instructional leadership, commitment and deep understanding of experiential education, a demonstrated passion for equity and inclusion, financial expertise and truly a person that would be capable of being visible on campus and able to build trusting relationships with parents, students and our professional community.”

Stephanie M., humanities teacher and search committee member, said, “What I think we need is someone with a vision and the guts to make difficult decisions. We can't do it all and will need to really focus on what's essential to our identity as a school. We need a decisive leader who truly ‘gets’ Athenian.”

Seeing teachers and faculty around campus often results in getting to know them. While there are usually significantly more teacher-student interactions, the Head of School is not generally seen walking around campus. Students hope to see this change with a new Head of School.

Koen said, “Just make your presence known in a kind, helpful way and try to make connections with a lot of students.” Maya agreed, and said, “I really want someone involved in student life. I think it’s essential that if our head of school is going to lead us all that they should be really integrated in the community and that means being there.” For Maya, this includes going to student shows, athletics games, and morning meetings, as well as having an open office. “Get to know people. Because we want to get to know them and welcome them. Be around during C&Cs, have an open office, have an open door,” she said.

One of the most challenging parts of the search, according to Jon, was finding the balance between aligning values but also being open to change and new ideas. “This is a very difficult thing to do. As best as we could, during the vetting and interview process, we asked questions to allow candidates to explain how they have honored their current or former institutions’ core mission and values while also being able to move a school forward,” he said.

Identifying the priorities for the new Head of School, Jon said, “It's clear that our community is looking toward deepening our efforts around equity, inclusion and student well-being. And the focus of trustees is always school sustainability. The Head will always be working toward ensuring Athenian will exist for another 60-plus years.”

As the search was concluded and Jay Roberts announced as the new Head of School, Jon reflected on the rewarding elements of the process and said, “I was so inspired by seeing the Athenian community rally around a common purpose. The amount of participation via Zoom calls, surveys, face-to-face interactions showed how deeply people care about the school's future. And secondly, I was able to be reminded of just how special a place our school is. We met candidates from all over the country. Each person spoke glowingly about how Athenian is a model of what education can be.”

https://www.theathenianpillar.org/athenian-local-news/athenian-students-played-key-role-in-head-search-process

Morgan T. '26

Junior, News Editor at the Pillar

Nov 8 Written By Morgan Theil. '26

Is it worth driving across the country to teach at Athenian? For Emily R., the new literature seminar and tenth-grade upper-school literature teacher, it was. This probably sounds crazy, but she has already driven across the United States around 25 times.

Over the summer, Emily drove with her two cats across the country to begin a new chapter at Athenian. “It was seven days of 12 hours of driving a day, by myself, and I drive an electric car. I had to find places to charge my car all across the country, which in some states was hard. People gave me weird looks,” Emily said.

Before arriving at Athenian, Emily taught at Phillips Andover Academy, Dartmouth College, the University of Southern California, and the University of Manchester in England. After traveling quite a bit, the change wasn’t that significant for her. “I don't miss Boston at all. I love California. I love the weather and the people are more relaxed and mostly the food is way better.” Emily said. “Yeah, I love the food.”

Why did Emily choose to teach literature and humanities? She said, “I just had really good English teachers my whole life. I've also just loved literature. It was never a conscious choice. It just was, ‘Obviously, I'm going to be a literature teacher.’ Emily majored in creative writing and went to an art school. “I really didn't get along with my teacher, and she played favorites, and I was not a favorite. I actually think that made me want to be a teacher because I wanted to right the wrongs and treat my students differently than I felt she had treated me.”

In addition to her passion for teaching, Emily loves knitting, and of course, hanging out with her well-traveled cats. One difference between California and Boston is the opportunity to wear the knitwear that Emily makes herself, as the winters there are notoriously colder than in Danville.

Her love for teaching led Emily to join Athenian’s community. She said “I really liked that more experiential approach to education.” From her first few weeks here, she has noticed how everyone is nice and engaged, and people can sit down anywhere at lunch and be able to talk to anyone.

Nico V., a junior in Emily’s fall semester seminar Immigrant Experiences, said one of Emily’s best qualities is her inclusiveness. “Whenever you answer a question, she’s fully focused. Whenever you raise your hand, you have her full attention. She makes you feel heard, and if you say something, she elaborates on your point and then tries to bring in the whole class as well,” Nico said.

Emily’s passion for inclusivity goes far beyond teaching, as she is also Co-Affinity Leader of the Mixed-Race Affinity Space alongside literature teacher and humanities department chair Kimiko S. Kimiko was involved in the hiring process and said, “I just love her combination of honesty and kindness. I just think that that's really important in an affinity space. She’s also very student-centered. And I just feel like it's really about, ‘How do we support the students’. She seems really excited. I'm going to be drawing from her excitement this year.”

Emily’s approach to teaching is not black and white. “I think that it's okay to not know. It's okay to have questions and to be in the gray area. I think we always want to find a solution to say it's definitely this thing or this thing. But I'm always pushing my students to ask, what if it's both? Right? And what do we do with that, you know?” she said.

Literature, as a lens that can be used to see the world in different ways, is something Emily embraces. She said, “Literature teaches us to be unsure of the future. It lets us have doubts or shows us that failure is okay. It doesn't judge you, and there's no right answer. I think that in this day and age of always wanting the right answer, always wanting to be the most effective, the best, it's actually really important to sit with something that's like, no, I'm not going to tell you you're right.”

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