Head of Middle School John Bower Receives 2024 Commitment to Excellence Award

The award includes a $2,500 professional development stipend and a commemorative plaque, which Dahlem presented on behalf of Borislow to a room full of Bower’s supportive colleagues. 

 

Rivers' colleague and alumna Melissa Dolan ’98 nominated Bower for the award, and several members of the professional community provided input to support his nomination. The submission was then evaluated against numerous other nominees by a five-person selection committee that included representatives from independent schools including Phillips Academy Andover, Berkshire School, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Miami Country Day School. The committee assessed four key areas where Bower demonstrated outstanding achievement:

 

Bower, an experienced and beloved educator, joined Rivers in 2008 and has held many positions in his seventeen years at The Rivers School, including director of diversity, equity, and inclusion; Middle and Upper School French teacher; music director for the Middle School and Upper School musicals. Additionally, Bower has taught middle school chorus, coached baseball, traveled with students overseas to France, served as an advisor, held the roles of Middle School dean of students and assistant head of Middle School, and is now in his fifth year as Head of Middle School. Through these roles, he has had a tremendous impact on the school community for both students and professional community members alike. In 2017, he received the Walter Family Community Award, recognizing his “commitment to cultivating a caring community through extraordinary contributions to the school.”

 

As Dahlem said, Bower’s contributions to Rivers can be summed up in the following statement from his nomination: “The world of education needs more leaders like John Bower. His humility, compassion, integrity, commitment, innovative spirit, and steady hand inspire students and educators alike to dream, create, collaborate, and find joy in the journey of teaching and learning.”

A surprised and honored Bower thanked the Rivers community for their support of his professional growth and development over the past 17 years. 

"This recognition means so much to me, and I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to those who nominated me—it’s a humbling reminder of the value of teamwork and mutual support,” said Bower. “‘Excellence’ is a reflection of the incredible team of colleagues I am fortunate to work alongside every day. Their dedication, creativity, and passion for working with middle schoolers inspire me constantly.”