Dear OES Families,
We are pleased to announce that the Reverend Dr. D. Corbet Clark, a veteran of 28 years in a variety of teaching and administrative roles at OES, has agreed to serve as Interim Head of the Upper School for 2016-2017. The Upper School faculty and staff greeted this news with an incredibly warm and welcoming round of applause for their longtime colleague when informed of the appointment on Monday afternoon.
Corbet has most recently chaired the Religion department, and his teaching assignments have included classes that are legendary among current students and alumni, including his senior elective, “The Good Life.”
Corbet has also served as Chair of the History department, Upper School Chaplain, and as a grade-level dean, while contributing significantly to the development of the Essential Competencies, the school’s vision of service learning, and the Episcopal identity of OES. Corbet’s wife, Myra, retired earlier this year after founding and leading the AASK program for the past 18 years.
An ordained Episcopal priest, Corbet has completed church training in preparation for serving as an interim leader—Episcopal tradition relies on interim pastors providing the bridge between congregational leaders. The advisory committee charged with finding an immediate successor for Jordan Elliott found Corbet’s vision for an interim year to be very compelling.
“The work of an interim leader is a particular one,” Corbet wrote, “that involves helping an organization remember its core values, identifying and surfacing current issues that need to be worked out, and laying the groundwork for a new leader by helping current members do visioning about the future.
“We need to recall and articulate our core story. We need to renew our sense of community, adults and students together, and how we can support and encourage one another. And,” Corbet concluded, “we need to give everyone an opportunity to help shape a shared vision for where we want to go as an Upper School.”
As Monday afternoon’s meeting drew to a close, Corbet expressed to his colleagues his own gratitude for Jordan’s successful leadership, for the good work of the Upper School’s leadership team, and for the incredible vigor and excitement brought to campus daily by OES students, teachers, and staff.
We are gratified to have Corbet to call upon next year. Please join us in welcoming him to this new role.
Sincerely,
Mo Copeland
Head of School
Chris Schuck
Associate Head of School