New Head of Middle School Appointed

 

“Michael Kris brings a passion to his work with middle school students that is right in line with the philosophy at Rivers,” said Head of School Ned Parsons in announcing his appointment. “The Administration and the hiring committee were impressed by Mike’s creative energy, his support of and insistence upon high standards in every classroom, and his dedication to creating engaging, relevant curriculum for middle schoolers.”

 

Dr. Kris joined Trinity Valley in 2010, overseeing 330 students in grades five through eight, at the co-educational K-12 independent school. He was responsible for hiring, evaluating, and mentoring a faculty of 30, with a focus on helping them develop initiatives to promote 21^st century skills, design thinking, technology integration & brain-based teaching strategies. He introduced programs aimed at fostering curiosity, innovation, and global perspectives, including a weekly experiential course for fifth and sixth graders, elective courses to promote innovation and creativity, Mandarin Chinese as a modern language option, and integrated coding and design thinking projects.

 

Prior to that Dr. Kris served as Assistant Head of School at The Willow School in Gladstone, NJ from 2006-2010 and as Director of Teacher Development at Far Hills Country Day School, Far Hills, NJ from 2003-2006.

 

Dr. Kris, a graduate of The Park School and The Rivers School, Class of 1987, received a B.A. in English with honors from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN in 1991. He went on to earn a M.A. in education in 1993 from Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, teaching English at The Pike School during the teacher training program. He also received a Ed.D. in educational administration (2004), a Ed.M. in educational administration (1998), and a M.A. in private school leadership (1998), all from Teachers College at Columbia University in New York.

 

“Mike is widely hailed by his colleagues as a leader in the field of Middle School education,” Parsons notes, “and we’re very lucky to be able to bring him to Rivers. His reputation is that of a team builder, a visionary, and an exceptional mentor to faculty. I’m looking forward to introducing Mike to the larger community and to seeing his philosophy come to life for our students, our teachers, and our parents.”

 

The Rivers community looks forward to welcoming Michael, his wife Deborah Farmer Kris, and their children, Annie (age 5) and James (age 2) to Rivers this summer.