On February 13, 2018, Fieldston’s Head of School, Jessica Bagby, emailed the community announcing that Nigel Furlonge had accepted the position of Upper School Principal.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University and the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University, Furlonge has significant experience working in education. Prior to coming to Fieldston, Furlonge was the Assistant Head of School at Holderness School, a private boarding school in New Hampshire, Furlonge also was a founding team member at Trenton’s Christina Seix Academy, a day school that provides a scholarship to all students, was the Academic Dean at The Lawrenceville School, and was the Director of Studies at St. Andrew’s School.
The thirteen-member Principal Search Committee ––led by co-chairs Bagby and Associate Director of College Counseling Jameel Freeman–– consisting of administrators, faculty, staff, parents, and students, conducted an exhaustive review of a national pool of outstanding secondary school leaders.
Earlier in the school year, Bagby emailed the community stating that Bob Cairo would step down from his role of interim principal and step back into his role of assistant principal for the 2018-2019 academic year. Thus, the Search Committee was tasked with filling this important divisional leadership role. Willa Ferrer, a junior, acknowledged the importance of this role. She said, “as the student body, our principal is the person we rely on in our difficult times and also go to with suggestions and advice. They are such a big part of our time in the high school.”
Knowing that the committee’s choice of the Upper School Principal would affect the entire Fieldston community, Freeman said that “the Search Committee committed to a thoughtful, inclusive, and comprehensive process.” The initial steps of the process consisted of a review of candidates presented by the search firm. Then, after determining which candidates would advance as semi-finalists, they met with a diverse group of eight of them, ultimately selecting three finalists that came to Fieldston for two-day interviews with the Committee. These visits included parent open sessions, student lunch open sessions, and faculty/staff open sessions in order to take into account essential feedback from faculty, staff, students, and parents.
The significance of these student lunches in particular cannot be understated and were reflective of the impact of students’ voices at Fieldston. Anaïs Ozer (III) said, “I was really excited to be able to have the opportunity to meet all the candidates and hear what they had to offer to the school. I was also very happy that the school let us have a voice in making the decision.” Ferrer (V) agreed, stating that “it felt very gratifying to give input.”
Hannah Kleinbart (V) said, “I think that students have the best insight as to what works and doesn’t work. And even though I only have one more full year at Fieldston, I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to help choose a candidate that has the potential to make Fieldston even better.”
Even though the students only met Furlonge during one lunch period, their impressions were overwhelmingly positive. Kleinbardt said, “in my opinion, Mr. Furlonge was the strongest candidate because he was enthusiastic, understanding, and expressed genuine interest in the school’s progression. In addition, his promises and intentions were both ambitious as well as reasonable.”
Ferrer similarly felt that Furlonge was truly invested in and would mesh well with the Fieldston community. “Mr. Furlonge was very open and invested in each question he answered,” Ferrer said. “He gave multiple personal anecdotes which allowed us, in the short lunch period, to get to know him on another level. He seems like a fantastic fit for Fieldston and I can’t wait to get to know and work with him in the future.”
Julie Johnson (III) said, “I really enjoyed meeting Mr. Furlonge during his short visit. He seemed to share Fieldston’s values. I can’t wait to get to know him.” Johnson’s and other underclassmen’s positive feedback is crucial since they will be the ones most affected by this administrative change.
In the past, Fieldston Upper’s administration has been defined by frequent turnover. Laura Danforth, the prior head of the division, left the school in 2015 for the position of Head of School at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry. Interim principal Bob Cairo, who initially only intended on staying in the role of principal for two years, extended his term by an additional two years, last year, after the most recent principal search was unsuccessful.
However, Furlonge’s hiring may represent the school’s commitment to finding a more permanent head to the division. Bagby noted in her message that she thinks “we are lucky indeed to have found a leader for our Upper School who shares values consonance with our mission and communal aspirations.” She added, “Nigel’s authenticity, candor, warmth, and nimble intellect resonated with each constituency who encountered him over the two-day gauntlet of his visit. His humor and easy grace made adults and students alike comfortable in his presence.”
Furlonge was quoted in Bagby’s note as saying, “I was inspired by the engaged students I encountered at Fieldston, the vibrant adult community of learners and leaders, and the strong feeling of fellowship suggestive of a school with a soul. Fieldston’s soul is manifest in its enduring vision of excellence in progressive education, in its deep commitment to equity and inclusion, and in the school’s cultivation of ethical individuals who aim to make the world more humane.”
