Welcome Robert Sarkisian, our New Head of School
The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Sarkisian as OHS’s eighth Head of School, beginning March 28, 2011. Bob’s wise, pragmatic, can-do nature coupled with his extensive independent school leadership made him an early and top choice to lead Oak Hill School into the future.
Bob’s educational career began over forty years ago, teaching middle and high school American Literature, Theater, and Writing. He founded two independent schools and headed three independent schools.He spent over 28 years as Head of The Meadowbrook School in Pennsylvania where his standard of excellence “made him a legendary education leader in the metropolitan Philadelphia region and beyond”. Bob holds a B.A. in English from Colgate University, a M. Ed. in Educational Leadership from Arcadia University, and has pursued graduate studies at Harvard, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
We are also pleased to welcome Bob’s wife, Sally, to our school. Sally is a former 4th grade teacher and long time Head’s wife. Her move from Fredericksburg, Virginia to Eugene will follow shortly after Bob’s, so we can expect her warm presence on campus and at many school events later this year.
In his Statement of Educational Philosophy, Bob notes: “a school should be a fun place to be with a healthy balance of rigor, mind-stretching, and hands-on activities. Creativity needs to be encouraged all the time, whether it be in the form of problem-solving or taking risks by building, painting, or just doing something that is new to the child’s experience.” We couldn’t agree more. His conviction that all children are special and capable, his passion for teaching, his commitment to support and mentor faculty and staff members, and his ability to see the big picture, tackle the details, and motivate and inspire a community are just a few of the many qualities Bob brings to OHS.
The Board of Trustees would like to extend a special thank you to all members of the Head of School Search Committee who contributed hundreds of hours planning, interviewing, debating, and identifying the best candidate to succeed Elliott Grey. Additionally, we would like to thank teachers, staff members, parents, students, and Elliott for their insights and time. Please join us in welcoming “Mr. S”, as he is traditionally called, and his wife Sally into the Oak Hill School community.