Notes from
Academia
A Quarterly Newsletter from the Office of the Assistant Head of School for Academics
Winter 2015
Earlier this year, Jonathan Frakes appeared with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra to promote a concert featuring music from science fiction films. Frakes played Commander Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the No. 2 to Sir Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard. While Picard was wise and visionary, Riker was brave and impassioned. The two balanced each other out perfectly, and their leadership as a team led the crew (not counting the expendable extras in the red shirts) through 176 episodes and three movies. There is something noble about the second in command, the hard-working leader to whom everyone turns to get things done. They may not get the glory or the accolades of the boss, but there is no Butch Cassidy without the Sundance Kid, no Barney Ross without Lee Christmas, no Charlie Brown without Snoopy. George Washington may be considered the father of our nation, but where would our nation be without the financial system established by the man who had been his chief aide during the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton? If you ask our three division heads about to whom they turn for help, who keeps the trains running on time, upon whom do they count the most, three names will come up: Trey Blair, Brad Jones, and Peggy Wakeland. It was an honor to sit down and speak with each of them about their roles for this edition of Notes from Academia. Best,
Bradley S. Philipson, PhD Assistant Head of School for Academics
Lower School In the years before most of our Fort Worth Country Day parents were born, the late film director Mike Nichols and the screenwriter Elaine May were a comedy team. Their onstage banter, as evidenced by their award-winning stage show recordings, reflected both an astute intellegence (they met as students at the University of Chicago) and a rapport that grew from familiarity and professional respect. I am not accusing Head of Lower School Shari Lincoln and Assistant Head of Lower School Trey Blair of studying those albums before their September Parents’ Night performance, but certain parallels were readily apparent. In the process of communicating clear and important information from the stage of the Scott Theater, Shari and Trey teased and cajoled, their mentormentee working relationship on display for the parents to gain some insight into how much fun they have running the Lower School. Trey entered education shortly after graduating from Kenyon College in Ohio, earning an MA in Education Leadership from St. Mary’s College in the San Francisco area while working as an extension teacher at Sacred Heart Schools. From there, he went on to Kentucky Country Day School, back in his hometown of Louisville, where he became a lead teacher and earned increasing responsibility. It was his work there that earned him an administrative post here, and in 2013, he brought his young family to Fort Worth. Trey characterizes his role as “co-division head.” Shari shares all areas of responsibility with Trey except for budget. “Discipline, it depends on who makes eye contact first. Admission, it’s either one of us,” he says. The same goes for supporting the teachers in whatever way they need. “It’s whoever’s up,” Trey says. What he has found most surprising about the job is the pace.