The Bement School
Head of School
Deerfield, MA
Introduction
“We hold the door for each other.” At The Bement School, this phrase is more than a gesture—it’s a way of life. It reflects a community built on kindness, humility, and mutual respect, where every person is known and every voice matters. Founded in 1925, Bement is an independent coeducational day and boarding school serving children in kindergarten through grade 9, with boarding beginning in grade 3. Nestled between the Pocumtuck Range and the Deerfield River in the heart of Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley, Bement is a joyful, close-knit community where curiosity is nurtured, hard work is celebrated, and happiness is part of the daily rhythm. Whether it’s kindergartners chasing butterflies or ninth graders diving into science experiments, students at Bement are encouraged to embrace new experiences and grow into confident, compassionate learners.
Bement is a school of place and purpose. The historic Deerfield campus offers access to a rich cultural and natural landscape, while its international community infuses the school with global awareness and perspective. Students learn not only how to succeed in secondary school and beyond, but also how to engage thoughtfully with the world around them. With dedicated educators, a vibrant curriculum, and a commitment to whole-child development, Bement offers a truly exceptional educational experience grounded in tradition, lifted by innovation, and guided every day by the belief that we are strongest when we care for one another.
Bement School at a Glance
Mission
The Bement School provides an education based on time-honored school traditions and values for children in kindergarten through ninth grade, day and boarding. From the classrooms to the dorms, we live and learn as a family, while encouraging responsibility for our own work and actions. Bement actively seeks an academically diverse, international, and multicultural student body. Students and adults at Bement work together to create a climate of acceptance, kindness, and challenge which nurtures each child intellectually, creatively, physically, and emotionally.
Core Values
• Compassion: We strive to be curious, kind, and empathetic.
• Integrity: We choose what is right over what is easy.
• Resilience: We do not shy from hardship, but work to overcome it.
• Respect: We honor each other, and strive to improve our community.
Facts and Figures
Founded: 1925
2024-25 Schoolwide Enrollment: 227
Lower School (K-5): 99
Upper School (6-9): 128
Day Students: 184
Boarding Students: 43
Student-Faculty Ratio: 5:1
Employees: 77 total, 50 Faculty
% of Faculty with Advanced Degrees: 47%
Average Tenure of Faculty: 9 years
Operating Budget: $10 million
Tuition (2025-26)
K-5: $25,431
6-9: $33,918
Boarding: $85,948
Financial Aid: $1.1 million to 36% of the student body
Endowment: $12.8 million
Annual Giving: $800,000
Parent Participation in Annual Giving: 97%
Website: Bement School
The Program
The program at The Bement School is intentionally designed to nurture intellectual curiosity, creativity, and character in students from kindergarten through grade 9. Grounded in a whole-child philosophy, Bement’s curriculum balances academic rigor with joyful exploration, ensuring that students build strong foundational skills and develop confidence, resilience, and empathy while also preserving the wonder of childhood. Small class sizes and dedicated faculty create an environment where every child is seen, supported, and challenged to grow. From early literacy and numeracy to advanced writing, science, and humanities, the academic program evolves with each student’s developmental stage. Daily arts, outdoor education, athletics, and global learning opportunities enrich the core curriculum. The school’s emphasis on kindness, collaboration, and personal responsibility fosters a community where learning is both purposeful and deeply human. At Bement, students are well-prepared for the next step in their education and inspired to lead lives of meaning, service, and connection.
Governance and Finance
Bement’s governance is marked by a strong, strategic, and mission-aligned Board of Trustees that partners closely with the Head of School to steward the institution with clarity, care, and foresight. The Board has embraced its role as a policy-setting body and key support to the Head's leadership in day-to-day operations, especially through periods of transition and growth. Trustees bring a deep commitment to Bement’s long-term health and sustainability through their disciplined fiscal oversight, enthusiastic support of the Second Century Campaign, and engagement in strategic planning. As the school moves into a new chapter of leadership and embarks on transformative campus projects, the Board is focused on ensuring that financial decisions align with programmatic priorities and mission fidelity. Recognizing the importance of transparency, inclusivity, and trust, the Board is also working to strengthen channels for communication with the broader school community and deepen its own engagement with philanthropy and the evolving needs of Bement’s students and educators.
Community
The Bement community is one of the school’s most defining and enduring strengths—a warm, inclusive, and tightly knit environment where every child is seen, known, and celebrated. Rooted in a culture of kindness, respect, and shared responsibility, this spirit of connection radiates throughout the school from classrooms and dormitories to playing fields, family-style lunches, and all-school events like Spring Fling and regular opportunities for Upper School and Lower School buddies to connect. Faculty and staff go beyond academic instruction to build meaningful, personal relationships with students, creating a nurturing and home-like atmosphere, especially within the boarding program. Families feel welcomed and involved, thanks to Bement’s multi-layered communication systems, inclusive event planning, and a vibrant parent association that fosters strong school-family partnerships.
This deep sense of belonging is not accidental. It is cultivated daily through intentional practices such as advisory programs, restorative approaches, and social-emotional learning frameworks, which guide both student development and community norms. At Bement, everyone contributes: faculty collaborate across roles, students lead with empathy and initiative, and trustees and administrators remain grounded in the values that animate daily life. As the school embarks on major capital improvements and continues its DEI work, the community’s early philanthropic support and collective vision reflect the strength of this shared investment. The result is a place where students flourish academically, socially and emotionally, where they are prepared to lead with compassion, resilience, and a deep sense of responsibility to others.
Faculty and Administration
Bement’s faculty and administration form the core of the school’s excellence as a dynamic, mission-driven team deeply committed to nurturing the intellectual, emotional, and ethical development of every student. Faculty bring a blend of expertise, creativity, and compassion to their teaching, designing rich, engaging learning experiences that challenge students while honoring their individuality. Beyond the classroom, they serve as advisors, coaches, mentors, and dorm parents, building relationships that are personal, lasting, and grounded in care. Administrators are accessible, thoughtful, and collaborative, fostering a culture of shared purpose and partnership with faculty to uphold a cohesive, student-centered program.
As Bement moves into its second century, investing in faculty and staff wellbeing, leadership development, and professional learning is not only a strategic imperative—it is essential to sustaining the vibrancy, warmth, and excellence that define the Bement experience.
Campus
Bement’s campus offers a picturesque and intimate setting that reflects the school’s close-knit community and deep connection to place. With a mix of historic buildings, modern learning spaces, and Pine Hill, a 12-acre outdoor education center, the campus supports both academic and experiential learning for day and boarding students. While beloved for its charm and natural beauty, the campus faces limitations in space and facilities that the school is actively working to address. The upcoming construction of a new dining hall, library, recreation space, and K–2 classrooms will significantly enhance the campus’ functionality and foster greater community connection. These investments are designed to strengthen the daily experience of students, faculty, and families, and to ensure that Bement’s physical environment matches the excellence of its program.
Graduates
Bement graduates emerge as confident, capable, and compassionate young people, well-prepared for the academic and personal challenges of secondary school and beyond. Rooted in a strong foundation of critical thinking, character development, and community-mindedness, they carry with them the habits, values, and resilience cultivated during their years at Bement. Bement alumni are known for their intellectual curiosity, leadership, and empathy, and these qualities set them apart in the classrooms, dormitories, and communities they join next. With high acceptance rates to top-choice secondary schools and a deep sense of self, Bement graduates leave ready to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the world around them.
Opportunities and Challenges for the Next Head of School
The next Head of School will step into a vibrant, mission-driven community at a pivotal and promising moment. As Bement prepares to celebrate its centennial and launch into its second century, the school is thriving. Bement has strong enrollment, record-breaking philanthropy, an exceptional faculty and staff, and a deeply rooted culture of kindness, curiosity, and community. This transition offers a rare opportunity to build upon a solid foundation while leading with vision and innovation. The next Head will inherit an energized strategic plan, a high-functioning and supportive Board of Trustees, and early momentum toward a transformative campus expansion. The school’s physical renewal is well underway, with over $8 million raised toward a $13 million capital campaign goal and pre-construction work already approved.
At the same time, the new Head will be called to lead through complexity with clarity, warmth, and purpose. Faculty and staff have voiced a desire for continued progress in areas such as workload equity, compensation transparency, and inclusive decision-making. Strengthening communication across all levels of the institution will be essential to maintaining trust, morale, and unity. The Head will have the opportunity to support and continue the school’s efforts to recruit and retain a diverse and mission-aligned adult community. The ongoing work of curricular alignment between the Lower and Upper Schools, as well as clarity around Bement’s academic identity, will require thoughtful leadership and cross-divisional collaboration.
Bement’s culture of deep care and community is one of its greatest assets, and the next Head must nurture that strength and steward the school’s evolving needs. Balancing tradition with innovation, embracing feedback while maintaining focus, and championing a student-centered vision while empowering adults will all be critical to success. With a committed Board, engaged families, and a dedicated faculty and staff, the next Head of School will find at Bement both the tools and the team to lead boldly and help shape the next 100 years of this remarkable school.
Priorities or Key Areas of Focus
Show Leadership in the Second Century Campaign: Oversee planning, fundraising, and execution of major campus improvements to enhance community and learning spaces.
Support Faculty and Staff Wellbeing: Examine workload equity, compensation transparency, and communication; strengthen systems for employee voice and professional growth.
Review Academic Practices: Align curriculum and pedagogy across divisions; support consistent assessment, innovation, and faculty collaboration.
Advance DEIB Commitments: Clarify leadership in DEIB, embed inclusive practices into school life, and recruit/retain a diverse faculty and staff.
Enhance Systems and Structures: Implement faculty evaluation, data tracking, residential life curriculum, and operational efficiencies.
Strengthen Communication and Community: Maintain Bement’s close-knit culture while increasing transparency and engagement, especially during times of change and growth.
Partner Strategically with the Board: Finalize and implement strategic planning; collaborate on long-term financial and governance priorities.
Qualifications
Experience and Skills
• Proven leadership experience in an independent school setting, ideally at the senior administrative level
• Demonstrated ability to lead and support faculty and staff, including recruitment, development, evaluation, and connection
• Strong financial and operational acumen, including experience with budgeting, strategic planning, and resource management
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to connect authentically across diverse constituencies
• Enthusiasm for fundraising, capital campaigns, and alumni and parent engagement
• A commitment to and experience with diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice
• Familiarity with boarding school life, including the ability to support and integrate residential and day communities
• Deep understanding of K–9 educational programs including curriculum development, child development, and cross-divisional alignment
• Ability to build and sustain trust, transparency, and morale among faculty, staff, families, and students
• Proven success working effectively with Boards of Trustees preferred
• Strategic facility and space planning experience preferred
Personal Characteristics
• Warm, approachable, and accessible
• Authentic, humble, and relational
• Mission-driven
• Visionary and forward-thinking
• Resilient and steady
• Compassionate and student-centered
• Culturally competent
• Emotionally intelligent
• Decisive yet collaborative
• Joyful and optimistic
Key Competencies
Benefits and Compensation
The salary for this position aims to be competitive and commensurate with experience, falling within the range of $275,000 - $300,000 annually. Bement offers a beautiful house and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance and a matching 403(b) retirement plan.
Application Requirements and Search Process
DRG is conducting this search on behalf of The Bement School. Interested candidates should submit, as soon as possible, materials including the following:
• A cover letter indicating why you are particularly interested in and qualified for the position
• A current resume
• A statement of leadership philosophy
• A second writing sample of your choice (newsletter, article, talk, parent email, etc.)
• A list of references (references will not be contacted until the finalist stage of the search and only with candidate permission)
Application materials should be uploaded directly on the DRG website (www.drgtalent.com) by visiting The Bement School listing.
Anticipated Search Calendar
Application Deadline: August 3, 2025
Semifinalist Interviews (on Zoom): August 2025
Finalist Visits: September 2025
Starting Date: July 1, 2026
This position description is based upon material provided by The Bement School, an equal-opportunity employer.
To apply for this position, please click HERE.________________________________________
Jennifer Fleischer
Principal
jfleischer@drgtalent.com
Rachel Carter
Senior Analyst
rcarter@drgtalent.com