Gilman School Board of Trustees Chairman Paul McBride, announced last night the appointment of assistant headmaster Henry Smyth as the school’s 14th headmaster effective July 13, 2013.
“In just over two years in the role of assistant headmaster, Henry has earned the Gilman community’s respect and affection. Prior to his time at Gilman, Henry spent 18 years involved with independent schools, 14 of those years in administration and leadership positions at schools including St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, The Head-Royce School, and St. Albans School. Henry’s breadth of experience, as well as a diploma from Phillips Academy, Andover, an A.B. from Princeton University, and a master’s degree in education from Stanford University, demonstrate his commitment to and passion for education,” McBride wrote in an email to the Gilman community.
Smyth will succeed John Schmick, an alumnus who lead the school for nearly seven years, and worked there for over 30 years. The search committee, made up of parents, faculty and alumni, conducted a national search that began six months ago following Mr. Schmick’s announcement that he would step down as headmaster.
The school hired consulting firm Storbeck Pimentel, which helped to identify candidates from across the country and from outside the United States. “The quality of our candidate pool was exceptional,” McBride wrote. “The search process involved months of candidate reviews, interviews, and reference checking. At the end of the process, the committee reached the unanimous conclusion to recommend to the board that Henry serve as Gilman’s next headmaster,” he continued.
“I know I represent many as I thank current Headmaster John Schmick for his decades of service to the school as well as his leadership and friendship over the years. Gilman is a better and stronger institution because of John’s service. Our enrollment is strong, our students top-notch, our families committed, and our faculty and staff highly talented. Both John and his wife Janet are wonderful leaders and ambassadors of the School. Their collective commitment, professionalism, energy, and kindness are exemplary; they have helped lead Gilman to the position of strength we find ourselves in today.”
I am taking this job fully aware of the contributions of those who have set the School’s course for its first hundred and fifteen years. I also recognize that the success of a school goes well beyond any one person, and tapping into the collective talents of the Gilman community – students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni – remains the key to the School’s continued excellence. To be sure, individuals have made a difference. One does not have to be here long to understand that Gilman has been blessed with many influential, iconic figures – teachers, coaches, and administrators who have shaped the School’s identity. No one fits this description more accurately than John Schmick. I am personally grateful to him for bringing me to Gilman, and I know that I speak for all of us when I thank him for his unyielding service to the school. Put simply, Gilman is a better place because of John Schmick.
