Interview with Mr. Young, Head of the Upper School at Worcester Academy
On September 30th, I sat down with Mr. Young to talk about his transition into his new position as the Head of the Upper School. I asked him different questions about being the Head of the Upper School and what his goals for the upcoming year were.
We first talked about the switch from working mainly in the classroom to becoming the Head of the Upper. Mr. Young told me that over his ten years at WA, he’s taken on different roles, though he started primarily in the classroom. He said that “in positions of leadership, you’re able to help guide the school in ways that make a difference for everyone.” He talked about how he finds being in this position is rewarding because he can “help make changes that are going to impact the whole student body.” He expressed that he loves teaching, coaching, and working with the students, and a part of him will miss being in the classroom. But he’s hoping that over time, he’ll be able to get back into the classroom.
Afterwards, we talked about what the application process was like when applying for such a key position. He said that there were several applicants, some of whom were outside the community of Worcester Academy. He told me that he believes the school “is always looking to make hires of people who are going to contribute to our community.” He explained that he hoped that, since he already knew the school so well and was a part of the community, he would show himself to be someone who knows what the community needs and how to support the people here.
My next question was the types of responsibilities that came with the role of being the Head of the Upper School. He told me that he oversees all the Upper School operations, and that he’s excited about promoting and launching our new mission statement and core values. He loves getting up at assembly and talking to the student body about what it means to be a Hilltopper and being proud of our community. He said that “one of the things that makes Worcester Academy really special is that we have students from so many different backgrounds, who come here for different reasons, but who all have a place here and who all belong here.” He further expressed that he loves to celebrate this sense of belonging as a leader of the school.
Next, we began talking about the new mission statement and policies. The new mission statement was a part of the strategic planning process, which is what guides the school’s decision-making and investments moving forward. Mr Young got to co-chair the Strategic Planning Committee and talked to students, families, alumni, and trustees about the mission statement. He kept hearing “Achieve the Honorable,” and that remained important. And he said that “it just made sense to everyone involved that our new mission would be grounded in this idea where this is how we “Achieve the Honorable.” With the new policies, he said that what was important was consistency. Since the school is a complicated organization, with our multiple buildings across campus, being consistent across our departments is essential. Mr Young told me he sat down with the department chairs and spoke to them about achieving this consistency with the policies.
Finally, I asked Mr. Young what his favorite part of working at WA is. His answer was the students. He loves getting the opportunities to connect with people and “share whatever wisdom [he’s] acquired over the years.” He talked about how he loves his advisory and spending time having fun with him. He finished the interview by saying he thinks “school should be serious, and we should take the work of school seriously, but we should find joy in our learning and the things.”
One example that illustrates the joy Mr. Young helps bring to Worcester Academy is the pirate outfit and accent he put on to deliver the opening address with Dr. Arce and Mr. Breen to communicate our new core values and mission statement to start the school year—the serious work of our school, led in part by our new Head of the Upper School.
