Head of School Search

List of 5 items.

• February 2025 Update

  Dear ESA Community,

   

  We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in the school assessment survey conducted by Tom Olverson of RG175 over the past few weeks. Your exceptional response rate has provided both depth and precision to his evaluation of ESA’s current strengths that we are committed to preserving, as well as the school’s opportunities that we endeavor to identify in this process.

   

  As part of his established assessment protocol, Mr. Olverson will visit both campuses on March 10-12. During this time, he will meet with various stakeholders including trustees, administrators, staff, faculty, students, parents, alumni, and donors. This on-site visit is designed to deepen his understanding of ESA, thereby clarifying our institution's unique position as we seek Dr. Baker's successor as Head of School. 

   

  As we progress further through the assessment phase with Mr. Olverson, the Search Committee remains guided by these five fundamental principles that will shape our activities and decisions in the coming months:

   

  ·         We will diligently ensure the mission of ESA maintains with strength.

  ·         We will earnestly work to allow the current and future needs of ESA to come first, ahead of our own personal histories or biases.

  ·         We will steadfastly adhere to the refined and highly reputable process offered by Tom Olverson and his team at RG175.

  ·         We will faithfully offer updates to the school community at appropriately identified stages of this process.

  ·         We will unwaveringly maintain confidentiality of the internal workings of this committee, ensuring integrity of process for best outcome.

   

  With continued faithfulness,
  
  

  Dr. Annie Spell
  Search Committee Chair

• Survey and Search Pillars

  Dear ESA Community,

   

  As we endeavor to select a successor to Dr. Baker, serving as our next Head of School, the Search Committee is committed to 5 pillars guiding our activities and choices in the months ahead:

  ·   We will diligently ensure the mission of ESA maintains with strength.

  ·   We will earnestly work to allow the current and future needs of ESA to come first, ahead of our own personal histories or biases.

  ·   We will steadfastly adhere to the refined and highly reputable process offered by Tom Olverson and his team at RG175.

  ·   We will faithfully offer updates to the school community at appropriately identified stages of this process.

  ·   We will unwaveringly maintain confidentiality of the internal workings of this committee, ensuring integrity of process for best outcome.

   

  While still in the early stages of this search, we are asking for members of the ESA community to complete the following confidential survey with submission by February 21^st. Every member’s feedback is valued as we all hold ESA, its history, and its future dear. Please know that your submissions will be sent directly to Mr. Olverson, allowing him to gain insight into all aspects of ESA, thereby better informing his guidance to the Search Committee.  Thus, your feedback will help shape the selection process at its initiation.

   

  (Survey no longer available)

   

  With faithfulness,

  
  
  

  Dr. Annie Spell
  Search Committee Chair 

• January 2025 Update

  Dear ESA Community,

   

  I am writing to update you on our progress in selecting ESA's next head of school, a responsibility that the Board of Trustees approaches with the utmost reverence. I am pleased to announce that we have engaged RG175, a highly respected educational leadership search firm, to assist us in this crucial process. The search will be led by Tom Olverson, who brings not only extensive experience in educational leadership searches, but also a deep personal connection to ESA's history and mission, having played an instrumental role in helping our school achieve its recognized standard of academic excellence during its foundational years.

   

  Mr. Olverson will be conducting a comprehensive site visit in March to gain a thorough understanding of our school community's needs, values, and aspirations. During his visit, he will meet with various stakeholders, including the Board of Trustees, parents, and faculty members. These conversations will be invaluable in helping us identify candidates who align with ESA's mission and values while possessing the vision and leadership qualities necessary to guide our school into its next chapter.

   

  To ensure a thorough and inclusive search process, we have assembled a dedicated search committee comprising distinguished members of our community:

   

  Dr. Lon Baronne ’00 (Board Chair)

  Tyson Cromwell ’96 (Board Member)

  Dr. A'Dair Herrington ’00 (Board Member)

  Christaan Mader ’02 (Board Member)

  Court Ramsay ’83 (previous Board Chair)

  Dr. Annie Spell (Chair of Head Search Committee/previous Board Vice Chair)

  Pat Stokes (previous Board Chair)

   

  This committee will work closely with Mr. Olverson and RG175 throughout the search process, carefully evaluating candidates and ensuring that our next headmaster possesses both the professional expertise and personal qualities needed to lead ESA forward while honoring our traditions and values.

   

  We understand the significance of this transition for our school community, and we are committed to conducting this search with the diligence and thoughtfulness it deserves. We will continue to keep you informed of significant developments in the search process as they occur.

   

  Thank you for your trust and support as we work to secure ESA's continued success through this important transition.

   

   

  Sincerely,
  
  Dr. Lon M. Baronne II '00

  Chair, Board of Trustees

• A Message from Dr. Paul Baker

  October 2, 2024

   

  Dear ESA Community,

   

  I am writing today to thank you all for the past thirty years! I am fond of telling the story of Lauren and me sitting in the new parent orientation when our son, Garrett, started ESA as a junior in 1995. Being impressed with Garrett’s experience, I applied and began teaching at ESA the next year and never looked back. To say that serving as ESA’s seventh headmaster has been an honor and a privilege as well as the defining professional experience of my life doesn’t come close to capturing all that this school means to me and my family. It is with a full heart that I want to share that next year, the 2025-26 school year, will be my 30^th year at ESA, and my 13^th and final year as headmaster of ESA. Just as Lauren and I look forward to our next chapter of “retirement,” it is now time for ESA to prepare to enter its next phase.

   

  I put retirement in quotes because we both have so much we want to do, including traveling while we are still young enough to enjoy it. Some of you may know that I was an active composer 20 years ago, and I look forward to getting back to writing my next pieces, as well as several other creative endeavors that I’ve had to put on hold.

   

  I am so proud of our amazing community and all that we have accomplished together. We have built a school that flourishes because of its steadfast ethos of scholarship and honor—Areté! For those of you who may not know, that Greek word encompasses so much about this place. It is a word that that roughly translates to “excellence from within” and is our school motto. When you look a little closer, it is tied to the ideals of Plato and Aristotle and achieving one’s full potential. That is the essence of ESA, whether you are a student, teacher or parent—all of us working together to help each other achieve our fullest potential. The other piece that makes this ESA bubble so special is our unwavering commitment to the ideals of the two greatest commandments in the Bible: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. ESA’s commitment to these ideals is what makes this place so amazing, in essence, its superpower.

   

  We have been able to accomplish so much together because we have built a community that believes in the power of this place to change the trajectory of people’s lives and understands that we are all stewards of this place. Part of that stewardship is generosity, and the generosity of our community has been overwhelming. Over the past 12 years, we have finished the Lafayette campus with our unique and beautiful Enrichment Center and maintenance space. We have laid the groundwork for the Cade campus with a state of the art sewer treatment facility on campus as well as new maintenance facilities. We have upgraded the main gymnasium with a beautiful new floor and added AC to the middle school gym. We have created a master plan for the renewal of the entire Cade campus and begun Phase I of that transformation with the building the first two of eight new classroom buildings. As exciting as all of this is, it is our continued dedication to hiring the finest faculty and administrative team that makes me most excited for the future.

   

  The process for finding a new head is lengthy (12-18 months), which is why I am announcing so early. The Board of Trustees and I had a fantastic retreat in August at which we discussed all of this. We pledge to keep you all in the loop every step of the way. But for now, and for the next eighteen months, my sleeves will stay rolled up, and my commitment to the success of ESA will remain steadfast. We will finish this first phase of our capital campaign fundraising and continue building the new campus. I will continue to support our Board in their pursuit to find and secure the next Head who will carry on the work that began here nearly 50 years ago.

   

  My commitment to ESA will not change after I retire. Lauren and I will continue to live in Lafayette, and I will be ESA’s greatest cheerleader. Thank you all for your partnership and belief in me—my gratitude is beyond words.

   

  Areté!
  
  

  Paul Baker, PhD
  
  

• Announcing the Search for ESA's Next Head of School

  October 2, 2024

   

   Dear ESA Community,

   

  The Board of Trustees has been informed by Dr. Paul Baker, our Head of School for 12 years and a dedicated member of the ESA community for three decades, of his intention to retire in June 2026.  As we relay this information, we reflect on his invaluable contributions with utmost respect and appreciation.

   

  Dr. Baker's leadership over the past decade has been nothing short of extraordinary. His visionary guidance has not only positioned ESA among the top-ranked schools in Louisiana, but has also laid a strong foundation for our continued success in the years to come. Through challenging times, Dr. Baker has steered our institution with unwavering commitment, fostering a culture of excellence that permeates every aspect of our school life.

   

  More than a headmaster and teacher, Dr. Baker has embodied the very essence of ESA. Our school's greatest strength lies in its ability to cultivate minds that are motivated by love, guided by wisdom, and shaped through habits of excellence. Dr. Baker, with his gentle and kind nature, has been the living exemplar of these ideals, inspiring students and faculty members alike.

   

  As we prepare for this transition, the Board of Trustees remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding ESA's core values. We assure you that the process of selecting our next headmaster will be conducted with the utmost care and diligence. A dedicated committee will be formed to manage this crucial task, supported by a professional consultant to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of potential candidates.

   

  In the coming weeks, we will share more detailed information about the selection process. Until then, I invite you to join me in celebrating Dr. Baker's remarkable contributions to our school community. His legacy will undoubtedly continue to shape ESA's bright future.

   

  Thank you for your continued support and trust in ESA's mission and leadership. 

   

  Warm regards,
  
  Lon Baronne MD, '00 
  Chair, ESA Board of Trustees