As we welcome in the new school year, we also welcome new community members. From students to teachers to administrators, Leman proudly has welcomed a vast number of eager learners and leaders into our family. Two of the most familiar new faces (or email addresses) are those of new Dean of Students Brandon Miller and Head of Upper School Harry Leonardatos.
As they cruise through the halls and lunch rooms, these fresh faces have already started to make an impact in our community and are ready to continue this success throughout the school year. Students have also enjoyed getting to know their new administration, feeling that they have a place to address their concerns, have their voices heard and get back into true Leman spirit. So, how are these new leaders integrating into our community? What plans and goals do they have for the school year? And what does our student body want most from them?
Although it was hard to say goodbye to our beloved administrators, Leman has welcomed our new members with open arms, and they agree. When asked about his integration into the community and what he did to prepare for his new role, Dr. Leonardatos, or as students know him, Dr. L, said “I wanted to spend some time here before I started just cold. So I spent a few days in April. I contacted Ms. Castelluccio and I said I'd like to come in for a few days to see how the school operates and also to meet a few people. This way I learned about the elevators, the different floors, the flow of traffic of students, and how people get around. I think that's important for me to know as an administrator. Then during the summer months, I came in and I spent a few days here and in July and also worked from home because we had to hire some teachers….Dr. Lyng was also very helpful. He told me about the school, the strengths and the challenges it faces. So, I knew going into the position some of the issues that I would have to encounter, but at the same time, I got to learn about people here.”
Dr. L feels that his integration in our community was smooth and welcoming because he made time to spend with students and faculty, as well as carefully plan his first year. He also mentioned that he felt that hiring teachers was an important part of his transition, explaining “I value hiring as one of the most important things I do as an administrator because I believe that a school is only as good as its teachers. I learned from coaching basketball for many years that a coach is only as good as his players.”
Dean Miller concurs with this idea, saying that everyone in the building was very welcoming to his arrival and his main focus has been connecting with students, exclaiming “I'm not going to lie, my first day I was very nervous and I always look back to the interview when I interviewed with the student panel. I was like,’I can't mess this up!’ I think my biggest thing is that I already connected with the adults over the summer, so now I have to connect with the students. It's very hard because I'm in charge of middle and high school. So if I don’t remember your name, it's okay. Just tell me something about yourself and then I'll remember you by that. But I think it's been going pretty smoothly so far. I just take everything one day at a time.”
He also gives thanks to the faculty members that have helped in his transition, such as Coach Christina. Dean Miller elaborates, “From day one, she's been such a great help. She's helped with my transition here and from the conversations that we have, I just feel like we have the same goal, the same vibe. And that's really made my job easier here.”
Both Dr. L and Dean Miller can agree that Leman’s student body is what drew them to the school and was a selling point in accepting their roles. Dr. L takes note of the international community we have cultivated, noting “when I visited this school in March during my interview, I saw how diverse the student body was. And once I saw that I said this place is, in terms of my own philosophy and what I believe in, is closer than anything I've seen.”
Not only is our student body diverse geographically, culturally and in thought, Dean Miller also was drawn to Leman because of our student passion and drive. He said, “working in charter, I felt like I wanted a lot. I wanted my student's success more than they wanted their success…and just seeing how you guys carry yourselves, it was amazing. I was like, this is definitely a place where I can see myself being for a very long time. You guys exceeded my expectations. I'm just blown away. Whether it's how you respond to emails, to how you advocate for yourself. It's amazing. I'm coming from a place where I had to beg my students to do that. All of you do that on your own.”
Our new community members are ready to create an impact in our community and work to make a better future. Students can already feel the Leman spirit coming back to the building at 1 Morris as it makes its way through club meetings, field days, school dances and spirit week. So, how are students feeling about our new additions, and what changes do they want to see in our school?
Marissa Proenza, a senior and Co-Captain of the Girls Varsity Volleyball Team says “I think both Dean Miller and Dr. L have been fitting right into the community. They have been quite responsive and vocal with students (at least in my experience) which I appreciate very much.”
Jonathan Tirelus, a senior as well, chimes in saying “I rock with the new additions, to be honest. Dean Miller and Dr. L seem to fit in really well…I’m excited about having new members. They give ways to gain more ideas, culture and a chance to better our school”
Samirah Horton, a freshman and new student exclaims, “I really like the new administration. I am new as well so they make me feel more comfortable because of that fact I don’t know what the administration was before, but I really like this one. I like the diverse administration and especially seeing my own community a part of it makes me feel more comfortable as well.”
Students already have ideas for the new school year, and are hoping administration is up to the task. Some have already seen this put into place. Marissa continues, saying, “ when it comes to dress coding students, administration has been notorious for picking and choosing who to dress code, especially girls. With the strict new uniform policy in place, I have definitely heard less complaints about this happening and hope it remains this way.”
Samirah adds, “I would like to see them tackle bullying and inclusivity and I want to see them fix gap between student and faculty.”
Dean Miller and Dr. L have continuously exclaimed that they are committed to using student input and ideas in order to cultivate a better learning space and community at Leman. Dean Miller explains that his main goals this year is on student involvement and support, saying “I think the biggest thing is just advocating for all of the students. That's number one. Number two, I'm very big on student culture. One of the things I notice a lot of times is the support is not really there at certain events or initiatives. I feel like we have more than enough students. We have about, I want to say about more than 400 students. So I think just trying to bridge the gap between what students want to see and what I want them to experience and bringing it together is really one of my biggest goals.”
Dr. L is aiding student interest by bringing back favorite school events and improving student culture. He explains “In every school, there's what I call the rhythm. There's a beat to every school. And I'm trying to see what that beat is here, meaning what happens on the calendar from September up until June. For example, we had Field Day, but we hadn't had field day for maybe a year or two. So bringing that back and looking forward, how can we do it better?”
It is clear that Dean Miller and Dr. L have smoothly transitioned into the Upper School and are ready to make a mark with the help of students and faculty. Having been welcomed by our entire building, our new community members are ready and equipped to spark impact at Leman. With this new year, students should expect great things from our new leaders and a team of administrators that are ready to address student concerns and ideas to make this year one for the books.