Head of The Seven Hills School Named to National Association
Christopher Garten, the Head of School at The Seven Hills School was recently elected as a member of The Country Day School Headmasters’ Association. Founded in 1912, the association’s active membership is limited to 100 members from day schools around the United States. The purpose of the association is to bring together school leaders to discuss important issues impacting education.
“I am honored to be invited to join this group of distinguished school leaders,” said Garten. “It is a testament to the strength of our school and our continuing evolution under the able leadership of our Board of Trustees.”
Garten became Seven Hills’ Head of School in 2009. During his six-year tenure, the school has grown significantly, with an enrollment increase of 10 percent. A successful capital campaign added more than $15 million to the school’s endowment. Guided by the school’s Statement on Teaching and Learning, Seven Hills’ curriculum continues to emphasize critical thinking, global awareness, and project-based learning. In addition, Seven Hills has added new courses in global issues, Chinese, environmental science, engineering, computer science, digital journalism, and time-based media, and a new innovation lab to foster design thinking. The introduction of a new one-to-one iPad program in grades 6 -12 has given students greater access to on-line information; a new double-period teaching schedule in Middle and Upper Schools has provided more time for inquiry-based learning, research, and problem-solving. Today, Seven Hills graduates matriculate at some of the most competitive colleges and universities in the country, including Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, The University of Chicago, The University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.
A recently adopted Strategic Plan of 2013 calls for more real world experiential learning through community partnerships: career exploration, service learning, and entrepreneurial and leadership opportunities as well as significant facilities enhancements. Seven Hills recently completed a state-of-the-art 175,000 sq. ft. athletic complex, and the new Early Childhood Center is scheduled to open August 2015. Looking ahead, the school’s vision also includes a capital project to build a Middle School Learning Center and a new Arts and Leadership Center, which will enrich the performing arts program and launch a speakers program to expose students to thought leaders from our community and beyond.
Garten is a graduate of Princeton University with an M.A. from Columbia University. Prior to becoming Head of School at Seven Hills, he served as the Assistant Headmaster at Savannah Country Day School in Georgia and as Director of the Middle School at Collegiate School in New York City. He has 36 years of experience working in independent schools as an administrator, teacher, and coach.