FOUNDED in 1933 by
Dr. Isabelle Buckley to provide a holistic education that combines
challenging academic study, character-building athletics, and flexible
approaches to instruction, The Buckley School continues to honor that
founding philosophy. Today, Buckley is a well-regarded college preparatory
day school of 750 students in grades K-12 that is dedicated to fostering
high standards, integrity, and a love of learning.
Buckley’s signature
4-Fold Plan of Education stresses solid academic instruction,
self-expression in the arts, physical development, and moral education. A
rigorous and prescribed curriculum ensures that all students receive a
comprehensive liberal arts education. Award-winning programs in the arts and
a full complement of interscholastic team sports support Buckley’s emphasis
on a multifaceted education.
All Middle and
Upper School students, faculty, and staff sign The Buckley Commitment,
pledging to act with integrity and to exemplify the school’s core values:
respect, kindness, honesty, loyalty, self-discipline, and self-reliance. The
school-parent partnership is a cornerstone of the Buckley experience,
reflected in frequent communications between parents and teachers as well as
in a myriad of volunteer opportunities.
Situated on a
serene and secluded 19-acre campus in a wooded canyon of the Santa Monica
Mountains, the school attracts a diverse student body from throughout the
Los Angeles area. Facilities include comfortable classrooms, as well as
music, theater, dance and art facilities, playing fields, an indoor pool,
and a nature trail.
For July 2005,
Buckley is seeking an experienced, innovative, and dynamic educational
leader to serve as Upper School Principal, overseeing a division of 280
students in grades 9-12. The Upper School Principal reports to Head of
School Paul Horovitz and supervises 46 faculty members (half of these also
teach Middle School classes), as well as the Assistant Principal of the
Upper School, nine department chairmen, the Dean of Students, the Director
of College Counseling, the Director of Student Activities, the School
Counselor, the Director of Student Publications, and the Librarian.
Wickenden
Associates is conducting the search in collaboration with Terry Macaluso,
Ph.D., of NewThinker LLC. Dr. Macaluso visited the school in May of 2004 to
collect information about its unique strengths and the challenges awaiting
the next Upper School Principal. Prospective
candidates should request the Opportunity
Statement we prepared after that visit.
This document,
together with materials published by the school, should help prospective
candidates understand why this is an appealing opportunity for a talented,
experienced, and energetic educational leader who shares the educational
philosophy embodied in the 4-Fold Plan and who is eager to play a vital role
in Buckley’s continuing evolution as a model for excellence in secondary
education.
