Letter From the Incoming Head--January 2016

Dear Harding Academy Community,

 

It is with great excitement that I write to you as the next Head of School for Harding Academy, effective July 1, 2016. I am honored to lead such an exceptional school.

 

From the moment my wife, Mackenzie, and I set foot on Harding’s campus last fall, we knew that we had found a home, both for me professionally and for our family. During our visit we were moved as we watched young students exude genuine joy and warmth and as we listened to eighth grade students confidently explain what they were learning in their classrooms. Clearly, these children were happy, engaged, and self-assured. On a personal level, Mackenzie and I were sold. Harding was the place we wanted our three children—
Grier, Ford, and Webb—to go to school.

 

On a professional level, Harding Academy represents what is great about a PreK–8 environment. The capacity to focus time, energy, resources, and programming on developing students to be the best they can be during the decade of childhood is a hallmark of this model. As the new head of school, it will be my responsibility to honor, preserve, and celebrate the core values of Harding, while continuing to guide the school proudly toward national preeminence. I am incredibly excited by the opportunity. 

 

Since our visit in October, I’ve had meaningful conversations with people from all corners of the Harding community. During them all, the Harding mission—to educate and inspire young people to become thoughtful, creative, lifelong learners and self-disciplined, responsible, caring citizens—has been front and center and, many times, was specifically quoted. In one of my conversations, an alumna commented that at Harding, core values are both cultivated and held dear. She further elaborated that the school was successfully able to grow without compromising either. Support for Harding’s mission runs deep.

 

It is evident how hard the faculty, staff, and administration work to prepare Harding’s students to thrive in a world in which the only constant is change. After all, society will demand very different skill sets of today’s students than it currently asks of us. However, the lessons learned from balanced experiences in academics, the arts, athletics, and intentional character development have always been, and will remain, fundamental to a child’s education. That is why the mission of Harding Academy is an essential and timeless endeavor. 

 

I would like to thank the search committee for its dedication and support through this process, especially co-chairs Vic Gatto and Meredith Hollomon, who, throughout the search, have gone above and beyond in terms of the time and attention they have given me and my family. I want to thank the faculty and administration for their passion and commitment to all that is Harding. I want to thank Ian Craig for his incredible leadership over the past decade and for his willingness to be a resource for me during the transition. Finally, I thank you, the Harding community, for your belief in me. I am humbled and grateful. 

 

Mackenzie, Grier (who will be in PreK next fall), Ford, Webb, and I are very much looking forward to moving to Nashville in the early summer and becoming a part of the Harding community. I am eager to learn as much as I can and welcome the opportunity to have a conversation with you. I will be on campus starting July 1, at which point I invite you to set up a meeting or give me a call. 

 

Sincerely,

David Skeen

Incoming Head of School