There have been many notable changes to the Upper School community this year. The cell phone policy, schedule change with community time, swarm initiative, and club system have impacted the daily lives of every member of our community. Amidst these policy changes, many new faces have been welcomed in this period of adjustment for the Upper School.
As Dr. Bolton is seamlessly following in Mr. Garten’s footsteps, we have welcomed a new Head of Upper School… Mr. Tate!
Students note how Mr. Tate never fails to have a smile on his face. Over a month into the school year, he has put in considerable effort to foster personal relationships with members of the school community.
“My number one goal is to learn everyone’s name,” said Mr. Tate. “That’s my number one goal because, really, it’s about people— it’s about relationships.”
“I can tell he puts a lot of effort into his job,” said senior Abby Diemling. “I guess he hasn’t been here long enough for us to really see the effects of his effort, but I’m hoping to see some good things in the future.”
Apart from his responsibilities as Head of Upper, he has sat in on a variety of classes and attended numerous school-affiliated events, including sports games and every Homecoming festivity. On top of that, Mr. Tate is also an advisor and Spanish teacher! As he learns more and more about each of us, what should we know about Mr. Tate?
Mr. Tate is not only adjusting to and learning more about our 7 Hills community, but he is also new to Cincinnati and has been eager to experience the best that our city has to offer with his sixth-grade daughter, Lauralyn. Although, Mr. Tate is an avid traveler, so it has not taken him long to find the best of Cincinnati restaurants and beautiful trails to hike with Lauralyn. Their next travel destination is Salt Lake City, where they will visit Mr. Tate’s parents.
Mr. Tate has a wide range of hobbies and interests outside of the classroom, but he is especially passionate about music.
“Music,” he said. “I love to listen to music; I love to play music; I love to write music; Everything about music.”
Mr. Tate has taught a variety of classes at his previous school, ranging from world languages to humanities to SAT strategies to the performing arts. Music and band were especially fun for him to teach, considering his background in music. Early in Mr. Tate’s career, he found ways to bring together all of his interests:
“I started my career as a professional trumpet player; I worked on cruise ships, I toured in jazz clubs in Europe, and I played Broadway shows as they came through town,” said Mr. Tate. “Along the way, I was finishing my degree in music composition in Spanish— I was teaching on the nights I wasn’t performing and I absolutely fell in love.”
Mr. Tate shares his knowledge and experiences with the Spanish language now within our community.
“I think he’s really nice overall,” said one of his current Spanish students, junior Nikhil Kohli. “I mean, he speaks all in Spanish, so it’s a little hard.”
Challenging his Spanish students inside and out of the classroom, Mr. Tate values the bond between teacher and student and believes that these relationships are crucial to your high school experience. Having recently seen his two older children complete their academic careers and thinking back on his own educational experiences, he has come to value student-teacher relationships that foster an environment where making mistakes is encouraged.
The Seven Hills community has been very welcoming to Mr. Tate, and he has gotten involved in many activities around campus, especially to promote Bee-ing Present— the motto for this school year. On the other hand, Mr. Tate has vocalized his belief that for his first year, it is really important that he emphasizes observing and listening so that he can learn more about the inner-workings of our community. Transitioning from Dr. Bolton to Mr. Tate has been easy for the majority of students as Dr. Bolton has still been present and played a prominent role in many Upper School activities.
It is still very early in the school year, and the Upper School community is still adjusting to all the changes that have been introduced. Most students have neutral feelings about Mr. Tate, but still some wonder: Is Mr. Tate really carrying out the legacy that Dr. Bolton left behind?
“I think their work is more behind the scenes,” said sophomore Penelope Hwang. “I can’t really notice all that they’ve done.”
Many of Mr. Tate’s responsibilities and much of what goes on as Head of School does happen behind the scenes, so the majority of the community has not been able to witness all that Mr. Tate has accomplished so far. But, this doubtful mindset that many students have is valid, considering that change is hard.
To combat these feelings, Dean of Students Laura Leonard said, “Feel free to invite him to places or things: ask your teachers about inviting him into classes, or invite him to a game that you want to see him at.”
To continue making Mr. Tate’s transition as seamless as possible, students should do just this. Change can be hard, but with time and by bee-ing present, Mr. Tate will be able to build strong relationships with each member of the Seven Hills community and leave his own lasting legacy.
