Envisioning the Way Forward as Head of School

Tao Smith has a more intimate and multifaceted understanding of Gould than any previous newly hired head but he says he will nonetheless take the next year or so to identify “the inherent strengths of this place and then sing them to the rafters.”  

“A revolution is not needed here,” he explains. But Smith does see evolution as a necessity, one that will accentuate and enhance Gould’s assets to make it the best version of itself that it can be. 

“I learned early on that you don’t make someone or something better by trying to turn it into something that it’s not,” Smith says. He expresses frustration that Gould’s location has not been celebrated enough. 

“That’s our signature strength!” he says emphatically. “We have the most beautiful campus of any boarding school in New England, nestled up against a beautiful town. It’s the root of all our good fortune and impacts our curriculum, the people we attract, the decisions we make about sustainability.” 

He also points to the curriculum and the faculty.

“The quality of education and the quality of the people here are better, in many ways than when I left 20 years ago,” he says, although the faculty has lost some of its joie de vivre during five years with three leadership changes.