Mr. Griffin’s Departure

By Mary Clare Jones 

In the early morning of January 29, students, parents, and the greater BGA community received bittersweet news. Mr. Griffin, Head of the Upper School, will be leaving at the end of the 2020-2021 school year to become the Head of School at Episcopal Collegiate in Little Rock, Arkansas. As Mr. Kesler wrote in his email announcing the departure, “His dedication, educational insight, attitude, and support of our teachers and students will make us miss him greatly for sure, but I also know that he was ready, interested, and able to take the next step in leadership.” 

Mr. Griffin joined our community six years ago, after being an upper school history teacher in Haverford, Pennsylvania. Before teaching, Mr. Griffin graduated from The United States Naval Academy, later serving as a Commissioned Officer with the United States Marine Corps. Following a long and challenging search process, Mr. Griffin joined the BGA community as the Upper School Head on July 1, 2015.

As I sat down to speak with him for this article, his love for the BGA community and his gratitude for the relationships grown between students and faculty became apparent. “I don’t think I knew six years ago how much I would enjoy the job and how much I would love the school,” he began, “If I could go back and tell myself anything, I would make sure I knew to really appreciate the relationships that I forged with students, teachers, and parents.” 

The meaning of relationships certainly changed with the global pandemic, and teachers and administrators have had a challenging transition into a hybrid learning environment. However, for Mr. Griffin, the unique and sometimes troubling world we now live in has not changed his emphasis on community. When asked what lesson he learned at BGA, he took time to cultivate a thoughtful answer. “I really learned to appreciate the power of community, and I learned to appreciate how that is always an ongoing process, an evolutionary process,” he remarked.  “How do we take our community and continue to grow it and make it stronger, I think that’s what I learned.” 

Mr. Grffin’s impact on BGA has been felt by all students, parents, teachers, and faculty in our BGA community. “I will definitely miss his care for each student, especially for the Speech and Debate Team. He was the only BGA administrator to show up to our banquets. He always posted about our competitions and asked about the team,” said Mary Courtney Finn, part of the Class of 2022.  When asked what Mr. Griffin will miss the most, his answer was immediate. “People: students, teachers, parents. That’s what I will miss the most.”

Now, as BGA embarks on the journey of finding someone to fill the position, Mr. Griffin hopes the next Head of the Upper School will spend time embracing the individuality of BGA. His advice: “Take time to absorb the unique culture of the school and to continue to listen to everybody involved. Have trust in the strength of the students and teachers.”