Change is in the air at Northwest Academy. The dance studios have been relocated to Buchan, sail cloths now billow over the breezeway, advisory has been paused, courses have been added to the schedule and a new face welcomes us at the front desk. But one change looms over all. NWA has a new interim head of school: Stephen “Brock” Dunn.
Dunn met the student body on the first day of school in the Sanctuary where he gave his opening speech. Following a standard introduction, Dunn read aloud to all students, staff and faculty a children’s picture book, showing the illustrations to everyone in the crowd. Dunn then delivered an original story about Cocoa Puffs and bee stings, the moral of which was to spread kindness throughout your community.
Dunn had his crowd laughing and smiling within minutes. His unconventional approach to an all-school address charmed students like Skye Groves, NWA junior.
“He was very charismatic, very funny,” said Groves, “and I appreciated his Cocoa Puff speech. I thought it was very informative and helpful.”
But while his affinity for chocolate cereal and natural sociability are common knowledge, one can’t help but wonder, who is Dunn and how did he get here?
Dunn’s arrival came after the former head of school, Chris Schuck, stepped down over the summer. This news, along with other reorganizing to “streamline our leadership structure,” was delivered to the larger NWA community via an email by Shane Wolfsmith, chair of the Board. Schuck included a message of his own in that email voicing his next steps.
“The school is preparing to enter yet another new era,” Schuck wrote, “but I have reached the end of my tenure at Northwest Academy…I will work with an incoming Interim Head of School to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
With Schuck’s duties coming to a close and his leave effective at the end of August, the search for an interim was already underway. Board members partnered with Educators Collaborative to narrow down and interview candidates from across the country. Dunn was chosen “because of his extensive experience in all different areas of schools,” according to Stefanie Silverman, NWA board member.
Dunn was hired on August 23rd, just 11 days before school began.
Even in his short time at NWA, students are noticing key differences between Dunn and Schuck’s leadership styles. Dunn has quickly made himself known on campus. One might find him on the corner greeting people or dropping in on classes.
“It sounds like Brock is much more interested in just the goings-on,” said junior Wren Alger. “I can attest to this as well, he has often greeted me when passing by, or asked what seemed like genuine heartfelt questions about what I’m up to.”
Gus Hardman, NWA senior, was the first student to meet Dunn when the new head initially drove in from Arkansas. From just one conversation. Hardman recognized Dunn’s intentions.
“He just really wanted to hear what I had to say about the school from a student perspective,” said Hardman. “He seemed like he had a lot of good experience and was interested in taking feedback from the school [to] really make change [and] benefit everyone.”
As the end of September rolled around, so did annual school retreats. The 7th and 8th graders, along with the high school freshman, sophomore and juniors headed off to their respective destinations. High school seniors stayed on campus for three days of college application workshops with college counselor Julia Cain. What was Dunn doing at this time? Attending all four retreats, of course.
Dunn weaved baskets with 7th graders and hiked lava tubes with 8th graders. In his time with the high schoolers, Dunn watched as they put on their talent show, an NWA retreat tradition. According to Dunn, a favorite moment was when two students approached him to share that they’d eaten Cocoa Puffs for breakfast.
Other students were eager to have Dunn around during their retreats. Phineas Silverman, NWA senior, was pleasantly surprised to see the interim head hanging even with the seniors who were deep in essay writing and common-apping.
“When I was submitting applications for college, he came up, patted me on the back, and [said] “Hey, how’s it going?,”” said Silverman. “He was very interested in what I was doing.”
Hadley Pack, NWA’s High School Activities Coordinator and alum, recognizes and praises Dunn’s effort so far to immerse himself into NWA.
“I see he’s really trying to get to know our school, which means a lot to me,” said Pack, “I’m excited to see him step into his role.”
Even with a better understanding of who our new Interim Head of School is, the details of his role are still vague. When asked what he planned on doing during his time as interim, Dunn responded with a more general plan, as opposed to a strategic one, which we now know is not a part of Dunn’s personal philosophy.
“I can’t arrive to a new community with an agenda of what I’d like to implement,” he said. “You all would not appreciate that. I’m listening to other people’s ideas about what they might like implemented…I’m not a permanent head of school so [I don’t] necessarily [have] a long-term vision of things that I might implement. [I’m] more setting up your permanent head of school for success.”
Not only has Dunn been a teacher and administrator but he’s held the role of student as well. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Communication and Business Administration, he was unsure what to do.
“A friend of mine was a teacher, and she needed one-on-one aid to support one of her kids,” Dunn said. He offered to step in, and never looked back. “I fell in love with teaching immediately,” he said. “So, I went back to college and got my teaching credentials.”
Dunn attended Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. for this certification. Continuing his education in this field in his late forties, he went for a Masters degree in Independent School Leadership from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
Despite Dunn’s long and diverse resume of work experience in schools across the nation, he notes that something about NWA is different. Our school stands out to him.
“Something special is going on with our little place that is hard to describe,” he said. “It’s been consistent kindness and warmth.”
Dunn went on to explain why he’s made such an effort to better understand NWA and its students. He finds that the “power of presence is the ultimate act of leadership” but his effort is not strategic but rather “who I am at my core.”
Rachael Torchia, Head of Middle and High School, said Dunn’s official job is to “prepare the school for the next permanent head” and “mandate the health and well being of the school in the interim period.”
Beyond education, Dunn is passionate about his family, exploring Oregon and, amongst other things, art. His introduction to art began as a way to connect with his three daughters, who he is proud to talk about any chance he gets.
“One of our favorite things to do,” he said, “is go to a museum together. Then, we go home and paint together.”
These painting sessions quickly caught on both in his house and throughout his neighborhood.
“My kids talked about it so much that the people in our last community would ask if they could come over for dinner and paint with us,” Dunn said.
It seems wherever Dunn goes, he attracts positive attention. And so, when it came time for the board to consider who fills the role next year, it was impossible to overlook Dunn. On October 17th a new email was sent out with the subject line “Exciting News from Northwest Academy’s Board of Trustees.”
“As we head toward the end of the first quarter, the Board is thrilled to announce that we have extended Brock Dunn’s contract as Interim Head of School for an additional year until June 30, 2026.”
Great article!! Well written and nice flow!