Meet Our Head of School
A Message from Craig W. Bradley
Welcome to the Hotchkiss website, a virtual place intended to convey something of the values, culture, and information about this extraordinary school. School communities are continually evolving; they experience a cycle of renewal each year with graduation in May followed by the arrival of new students and faculty each fall. This website reflects that constant renewal and evolution, and I hope you will return regularly to keep in touch with what’s happening at Hotchkiss.
2016 was my first year as Head of School at Hotchkiss and my first year back in the United States following a decade living and working abroad. There are few moments in a career or life when one is able to see things with the eyes of a beginner, and, in addition to reading Hotchkiss history, I am listening carefully to those who know Hotchkiss best – faculty, staff, students, alumni, and parents – to gauge the deep quality that is here and to imagine with others across the community, on campus and afar, Hotchkiss’s future.
What I am finding is a culture of respect: Respect for oneself and one another; respect for ideas and learning, for the process of discovery and creation; respect for our bodies and well-being; and respect for nature and the planet. This culture of respect is deeply rooted in Hotchkiss’s DNA. George Van Santvoord, a graduate of the Class of 1908 who served as Hotchkiss’s Headmaster from 1926 to 1955, extolled the importance of intelligence, curiosity, discipline, and character. He wrote that “Our first task is to be individuals” and that “Tolerance is desirable, but it is rather a neutral stance. Isn’t it better to prize the admirable qualities of those unlike oneself?” These are among the enduring values I see at Hotchkiss today: a culture of respect; a curiosity about all things, including others’ experiences and ideas; and an admiration for individual difference and individual talent.
We are an intentionally diverse, inclusive learning community, and we believe in the profound learning that occurs in a residential school whose members have been carefully selected for their individual gifts and potential.
I encourage you to come visit this very special place. We look forward to welcoming you.
Sincerely,
Craig W. Bradley
Head of School