Brad Bates knew immediately Dublin School was the place for him.
There was just something about the small town New Hampshire campus that made him feel right at home. It was his first attempt at taking on the top leadership role in any educational setting, and while he felt ready for the challenge, Bates wasn’t quite sure he would be the right fit.
At the time, Bates was an assistant principal at a public high school in Aspen, Colorado. But he was looking to head back to the Northeast – and more importantly return to the boarding school setting. He had previously spent 15 years teaching at a private boarding school, and that was the way of life he and his wife Lisa, wanted for their two children, Calvin and Lilly. He himself was a private school student at Belmont Hill in Massachusetts, the son of a teacher and ski coach.
It just so happens that Dublin School was in need of a new head of school. The career tip came from his dad, who went to Dublin School from 1949-53 and had fond memories of his days at the small town school, but Bates admits he was a little young to be taking on that kind of role. Plus, he had only been an assistant principal for a few years and before that was dean of students/history teacher at St. Andrew’s School in Delaware. Not exactly the resume that a boarding school that dates back to 1935 would be looking for in its next leader.
“I was really just trying out school leadership at that point,” Bates said. “But I did feel in some ways I was ready and I was also fortunate I didn’t know what I was getting into.”
As it turns out, Bates was exactly what Dublin was in search of – someone young, excited and ready to take on all challenges.
Right off the bat, Bates was faced with his biggest challenge to date. About a week before students arrived for his first year, the economy went south. And for a school that completely depends on enrollment to function, it was a tough way to begin for the newly named head of school. These days though, that seems so far in the past.
It has been almost 11 years since Bates took over, and he’s overseen an increase in students from 110 to 160, most of which live at the school. There have been numerous building projects, increases to the staff and with those hires, really made it a point to surround himself with the right people. He learned that from a book he read, called “Good to Great” by Jim Collins.
“I can coach skiing, but I can’t direct the plays, run the dorms and cook the food,” Bates said.
He made changes to the educational approach, opting for a more student-center learning environment where discussion among the students drives the topic and allows for them to be more invested in the process. With that, Bates changed the architecture of the classroom, adding Harkness tables, in which students are seated in a large, oval configuration “so every kid is in the front row,” Bates said.
“Our culture is very strong, but you’re never done and it’s never perfect so you have to work at it every day,” Bates said.
The school added 200 acres of land, about half of it was donated by the son of the school’s founder for the use of creating the Nordic center, something near and dear to Bates’s heart.
“He has a passion for getting kids outdoors and thanks to him, we now have a premier Nordic center for both the students and the community,” Bates said.
His father was a skier at Dublin, taught Bates’s mom how to ski and both helped instill the lifelong sport into the fabric of their family. He and Lisa have done the same with their own two children, both of whom have developed into high level skiers. Calvin is a sophomore competing for Divison I Middlebury College and Lilly just qualified for the Junior National Team and is set to take her talents to Williams College in the fall.
“It’s really a way of life,” Bates said. “It’s not just a sport.”
Bates still competes and can be found on the campus trails when the demands of running a school are over. He also coaches the Dublin Nordic team, and helped establish Dublin XC, a Nordic skiing club that is open to anyone in the community with a passion for Nordic, with ages ranging from 5 to 65 years old. Next year, the Nordic center will add snow making, and will become even more of a draw for skiers from the region and beyond.
Nordic skiing is more than just something Bates does in the cold months of winter. It’s a lifestyle and one that he’s fortunate enough to share with his family. It has done so much for his life since his parents introduced him to the sport at a young age.
“My goal is to teach them a life-long sport they’re going to have fun with,” Bates said.
But of course, you can’t ski in New Hampshire year-round, so Bates enjoys hiking and mountain biking.
“I have this weird obsession with going up hill,” Bates joked.
While he doesn’t climb Monadnock too often, his favorite time to do it is two days after a big snowstorm. There’s less ice, don’t have to deal with as many rocks and people have laid out tracks to follow. His first impression wasn’t all that flattering, considering he was coming from Colorado where he regularly hiked 14,000 foot peaks, but he has gained quite an appreciation for it. Each school year, Bates picks a day unbeknownst to students and will ring the bell in the quad during first period to signify that’s the day for the annual hike.
Bates said he’s about to sign a long term contract to stay at Dublin for many years to come. He said some had been curious if he’d decide to move on when his kids went off to college, but Bates couldn’t see himself anywhere else. This is his home and the students are important to him.
“What wakes me up in the morning is seeeing the growth of our students,” Bates said. “We really love it here. We’ve enjoyed putting down roots not just on campus, but in the community.”
When the building that houses his office was being constructed, Bates had an idea. He wanted a vantage point over the quad so he could watch the students move between classes. Over the years, he’s gotten good at being able to tell when a student is just a little off by their body language. This way, he can go have a quick chat if he feels it necessary.
“I can see any student seven times a day crossing the quad between classes,” Bates said.
He’s been a part of all kinds of success stories during his time at Dublin. What he’d like to see next is for Dublin School to be more accessible.
“Making it that everyone can come to Dublin, regardless of means,” Bates said.
It’s all part of a grand plan he has for the school moving forward. And he’s got nothing but time to see them through.