Michael Saxenian, the new Head of School at the McLean School. Photo Contributed
Potomac — “I was profoundly drawn to the mission of the school and a dedicated faculty that has extraordinary talent and a strong commitment to the institution,” said Michael Saxenian, who became the new Head of School at the McLean School in July. “I see a lot of opportunity to build on a wonderful foundation.”
Formerly the Assistant Head and School and Chief Financial Officer at Sidwell Friends School, Saxenian’s life experiences have shaped his vision and defined his leadership skills. He was born and raised in Concord, Mass., the son of parents who were both teachers. After earning his BA in international relations and an MBA and MA in development economics, he moved to Asia where he ran the Indonesia program for Volunteers in Asia. The group was involved in education, economic development and environmental sustainability — and with this opportunity, he realized his aptitude for community leadership.
After returning to the U.S., he and his wife moved to D.C., where he worked in management for Conservation International and Discovery Communications — and commuted to work via bicycle.
Twelve years ago, he moved into education and financial management at Sidwell Friends. Here he established environmental sustainability at the school, supervising the state-of-the-art campus renovations which have become a model for other institutions. He also taught classes in economics, managed a capital campaign, community relations and more.
Saxenian is excited about the challenges of his new position. “My first month at McLean has been so much fun,” he said. “We have a terrific faculty who are very talented and dedicated. Part of the appeal of this job is that I’m really a builder, not a maintainer. I plan to spend these initial months immersing myself in the culture, and then comprehensively look at the program to see how we can take it from really strong to great.”
He has already formulated plans for additional professional development for the faculty and is putting together a task force to bring more technology to the classroom. Saxenian would also like to see a gardening program in the school to make the food services as environmental and sustainable as possible. “I would also like to incorporate “mindfulness” (meditation) into the classroom for the first few minutes of class as a method for settling the brain before the task of learning.”
Small classes are one of our biggest assets,” he said. “We provide a nurturing environment with caring, individual attention. We allow for the many different learning styles by being flexible and accommodating. Eighty-seven percent of our parents cited on our market study that their kids have developed higher self-esteem since attending McLean. Similarly, parents agreed that their children were more excited about school, their family life had improved and they felt a strong sense of community.
Saxenian has also built a strong leadership team at McLean. Dr. Sara Hines from Hunter College will lead the Lower School and David Roth, former Head of the Middle and High Schools at Commonwealth Academy will head the Middle School.
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 6:30pm, the school will present the first program in its Parent Education Series “Surviving Social Media.” This free program will help parents understand the world of social media.
To learn more about the McLean School of Maryland, so go www.mcleanschool.org.