Peter and Rachael Fayroian
Peter Fayroian Named Head of School
Peter Fayroian will be NMH’s seventh head of school, effective July 1, 2012, the Northfield Mount Hermon board of trustees announced on Dec. 19.
The appointment follows a nationwide search launched last May. Fayroian currently heads Greenhills School, an independent day school for 545 students in grades 6 through 12 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“We could not be more excited about what Peter’s leadership will mean for the future of NMH,” said NMH board chair and alumnus Mark Chardack, who shared news of the board’s decision with the NMH community in an email.
“For our next head, we sought a proven leader whose educational vision would resonate with the deepest meaning of NMH’s heritage and mission,” Chardack said. “Peter Fayroian is that kind of leader and so much more.”
Fayroian began his 25-year career in education as an English teacher at Cranbrook Schools in Michigan. He then spent nine years at Stevenson School in California, where his roles included director of outdoor education, director of residence, and, finally, dean of students. From 2002 to 2005 he served as head of the upper school at Nichols School in Buffalo, New York. In 2005 he took the helm at Greenhills, where he has continued to teach English and coach tennis while serving as head of school.
“In so many ways, the kind of work I’ve been doing with schools throughout my career has led me to NMH,” Fayroian wrote in a statement to the NMH community. “I yearn to be the head of a boarding school that knows and loves kids, and I have found that in NMH.”
The first member of his immigrant family to earn a college degree, Fayroian holds a bachelor’s degree and a fifth-year certificate in education from the University of Vermont. He went on to earn a master’s degree from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. His wife, Rachael Waring Fayroian, is a professional photographer and is expecting the couple’s first child in February.
“NMH doesn’t just talk about intellectual engagement, social justice, community building, and inclusiveness. These values are purposefully implemented in the school’s curriculum, schedule, outreach, traditions, and work program,” Fayroian said. “I look forward to working with all NMH constituencies to shape the school’s future while honoring its past.”
“Peter will fortify NMH’s reputation for academic excellence and sustain our commitment to providing an education for the head, heart, and hand that prepares students to act with humanity and purpose,” said William Shea, NMH alumnus, search committee chair, and chair-elect of the NMH board of trustees.
Trustees, faculty members, staff, alumni, parents, and current students all participated in the search process.
NMH’s next head “is instantly personable and noticeably garrulous, and I expect that connecting and communicating with the rest of the community will be an easy task for him,” said NMH senior Wilson Josephson, who served as a student member of the search advisory committee.
“He manages to put everyone at ease and to fill the room with his presence," Josephson said. "His character and devotion to transparency are sure to help him lead the school along the right path over the coming years."
NMH Reactions (pdf)
Résumé of New Head (pdf)
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