Meet Nowell Hesse ’99: Interim Head of Upper School

[FULL STORY]

During the summer, we announced that Nowell Hesse ’99 was appointed Interim Head of Upper School. Hesse, as his students refer to him, is a Newman alumnus and a devoted member of the School’s faculty, who has most recently served as a science teacher, Science Department Chair, and Director of Technology. A constant innovator and dedicated educator, Nowell has spent the last nine years in service to the School and the students he teaches, and now he is playing an even greater role in shaping the Upper School’s voice and direction. We asked him to elaborate on his motivation for taking the job and his beliefs about education, the priorities of the Upper School, its strengths, and its challenges in the years to come.

There are two things that I have loved about my work at Newman to this point: working with students to help them grow academically and personally into capable, productive, and ethical young adults, and working with talented professional educators to help them further improve and refine their practice to maximize learning opportunities for our students. As Interim Head of Upper School, my job description includes both of these tasks, and therefore I am fortunate to be able to do what I love every day.

In addition to accomplishing the two tasks I have already mentioned, I believe that academic leadership and community building should be high on the list of priorities of any Head of Upper School. The leader of the Upper School should set and maintain high academic standards for both students and teachers and work to develop and promote an intentional, appropriately rigorous academic program that ensures students are challenged to grow intellectually. Additionally, the health of the Upper School community and culture must be diligently tended to in order to create an optimal learning environment. Meaningful relationships between colleagues, between teachers and students, and between peers are paramount to the success of any school, and a Head of Upper School should focus on creating an environment in which these relationships flourish.

I would like the Upper School to graduate honest, kind, respectful, and responsible young adults, capable of succeeding along whatever path they choose after they leave Newman. I would like for all members of the faculty to love coming to work every day as much as I do. I would also like for our students to feel a deep connection with the School and reflect on their time at Newman as some of the most special and challenging years of their lives.

While I never thought I would end up in research, there was a time when I fully intended to go to medical school. My undergraduate studies were devoted to preparing for that career path. I decided during my junior year of college that I would take a break from being a student upon graduation and try my hand at teaching until I was ready to proceed with my formal education. That decision changed my trajectory completely and was one of the best choices I ever made. Within two years, I decided that medical school was not right for me, and since then, the conclusion I have reached time and time again is that teaching and education are what I truly love and what I am meant to do with my life.

When you combine the breadth and rigor of our academic and extracurricular programs with the talent and dedication that students, teachers, coaches, and staff bring to campus every day, you have a recipe for “amazing.” I am often struck by what our students are able to accomplish in our classrooms, with our teams, and on our stages due to the tremendous opportunities that Newman affords them.

Throughout this year, I hope to contribute to a strong sense of common purpose among faculty, students, and parents. We are all ultimately after the same thing: a high quality, appropriately challenging academic and developmental experience for Newman students. The more we support one another in this endeavor, the better that experience will be for the students.

I am incredibly grateful for the chance to have a positive impact on this school, my school. The last nine years at Newman have been truly amazing, and I can only hope that this year will be equally so. I have met so many incredible young men and women along the way and formed such strong bonds with so many of my colleagues that it is sometimes hard to comprehend why I ever considered doing anything else. I am looking forward to a great year.