New Head of School Message

Dear Leelanau School Community,

It was with great awe and enthusiasm that I began as the new  Head of School in July 2018. For 89 years, Leelanau has pursued and protected a profound model of teaching and learning. The tenants of “learning by doing”, the synergy of intellectual, social and emotional development, and the importance of personal relationships in support of learning are not new ideas. Such has been the way of Leelanau since its founding. These are also the well-researched and time-tested characteristics of any successful educational environment.  When we claim Leelanau offers “a better way to learn”, we do so deliberately and with great confidence.

At Leelanau, we value the learning experience differently than many “traditional” settings.  We offer an alternative to the trends towards standardization, large classrooms, narrowing of the curriculum, and competitive assessment. Such trends left abandoned the strategies that actually work for students. For far too many students in other settings, schooling has become drudgery instead of joy. The notion of producing sameness in national graduates through standardized curriculum and scripted instruction results in dispassion, and certainly fails to launch innovators and problem solvers. The talent, imagination, and intelligence of too many students are left unnurtured in many school settings, robbing society of potential leaders and families of happiness.

We, The Leelanau School community, owe it to the world to preserve the models of experience-based, humane, and whole-person schooling that result in the most profound outcomes for students. In doing so, we also set an example for the rest of the educational world. We strive to make visible the simple truth that schooling can be simultaneously joyful, challenging, personal, and communal. We embrace the paradigm that hard-work and laughter are partners in the journey to wisdom and self-reliance. We build awareness that all learners desire purpose and fulfillment through schooling, and only by experiencing such personal rewards will they establish a habit of lifelong learning. The future of our society depends on securing a “better way to learn” for all people.

Our intention is to always be a place where:

• Those who come here will feel safe, validated, and grow comfortable in their own skin
• Students will be challenged, academically and socially, in order to safely discover their capacity to innovate and contribute.
• We stand by our students’ side and not in their way
• Stewardship, Leadership, Awareness, Integrity, Resilience, Courage, and Interconnectedness are celebrated both in students and staff
• Unique talents of each individual are woven into our fabric to benefit the community that is our school
• Personal expression is accomplished in the arts, music, writing, exploration, and invention.
• Schooling is compassionate and humane
• Service and kindness are the ultimate expressions of wisdom

We are fortunate to share this journey together.

Rob Hansen
Head of School