(WSB photo)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The new school year is still three weeks away, but the new head of school at Westside School (WSB sponsor) is already in his second month on the job.

And it’s been 10 months since Dr. Daryl Wright accepted the position, so he’s already a familiar face around the Westside campus in Arbor Heights.

Dr. Wright succeeds Steve de Beer, who spent seven years leading the secular independent school, which has almost 400 students enrolled, in grades preschool through 8th. He previously worked on the East Coast, but this is a homecoming even more than a cross-country move.

He’s in his 26th year as an educator, a calling that his mother had as well, as a school librarian: “I grew up in a world of books.”

Also, a world of sports: Football carried him through college, at Eastern Washington University and the University of Puget Sound: “Sometimes you lean into things that celebrate you the most.”

He was looking ahead beyond the goalposts to a career in education, and obtained a master’s degree in teaching at UPS. Then a doctorate at Seattle University. Eventually the work took him away, and before the Westside job, he was at Shady Hill School in Massachusetts, which he describes as a “very similar school,” saying his roles during four years there included assistant head of school and acting head of school.

What drew him to Westside? “It exudes an energy that’s pretty powerful … the school is a beacon for attracting energy and processing it in a way that’s magical.” Dr. Wright sees the energy as a trait of the wider community too – “When you’re away, you forget” – but now he’s back, and “excited about being a part of creating new excellence.”

But first, he’s “learning as much as possible about the school and community (and) what the community needs support in.” He’s well aware he’ll be leading a school that already has “functioning systems,” and one aspect he finds most appealing is that his predecessor succeeded in “creating joy … all of our kids are excited to be here.”

Now, it’s time to “define academic components that are clear, to tell a much more concise story of what a Westside student is – what’s a Westside graduate, what do they come away with …” So a lot of curriculum discussions are ahead, including to “clarify what students want,” as well as discussions to “understand the needs of the community, what’s happening in our families’ lives.” That means a lot of listening, something Dr. Wright says schools in general “haven’t been most effective at .. I want to be sure we’re really good at that.”

He’ll be leading the work to turn Westside School’s strategic plan, created by its board and former head of school, into reality. He says it identifies “a lot of areas in which we need to grow … how do we change programming, maybe curriculum, maybe afterschool (programs), do we have enough programs for neurodiverse students, might be a change in the calendar …’ But he says the school community will be along the journey to change, mapped out by this three-to-five-year plan, every step in the way.

Solutions to challenges, he notes, can come from within. “We want more diversity in our hiring, for example, do we have a pipeline? Do we need to find different pipelines?” Those pipelines could range from developing relationships with universities to even creating their own teaching “school”; Dr. Wright says his previous school “had a teacher-training center … (so) we had a resource to pull from. That’s the type of thinking I’d like our institution to embrace, that kind of creativity.” And then there is the issue of financial resources – he says Westside “is not struggling but would like to grow” in areas like programming and an endowment fund. Board committees will be working on all this and more, he says.

One way to look at it: “We have a plane that’s already flying, a wonderful plane, but can it go a little faster … (we have) a good team, good administrators, a lot of wonderful people … how do we climb to ever-greater heights, move from good to great?”

He feels ready to pilot Westside School to those new heights, and to inspire others along the way: “I think I have a lot to contribute … Washington is my home. I love this place and want (Westside) to be a model for others: What does a phenomenal K-8 institution look like – showing people how a school can be, what we’re doing here …If we show what we’re doing here, I think we can put the energy into other schools.” Again, he marvels at how much love the students already have for Westside; “Kids want to get into this place (on arrival in the morning).- learning can be an exciting thing.”

That can be deceptive to onlookers, Dr. Wright acknowledges – “The kids are having so much joy, some might think they’re not (working hard enough … (we) need to explain bringing the old excellence to what new excellence is, bringing your knowledge and passion to the table. Our kids are already excelling at that. … They do the work because they love it.” That can lead to a disconnect if people feel as if ‘there must be some pain somewhere” in the learning process. Instead, Dr. Wright believes, the applicability of learning can be the secret sauce: “This (lesson) can help me build a better rocket? That (project/achievement) is why I need to know geometry? Schools like this can do a better job of explaining why you need (to know certain things)” – as opposed to, look, trust us, we say you need to know this, so don’t ask us why.

We asked about technology and screen time. So far, policy and philosophy doesn’t digress too far from other institutions, Dr. Wright says, but they’re assessing “how can it benefit us, and how do we give kids exposure” to what’s new without a “fear first” approach. He says it’s imperative that tech be “part of our learning journey” but “we have to use it in the structures and curriculum we already have.” Westside teachers have a lot of autonomy in figuring out what to use and when, and that goes for AI, too: “What is the goal that’s trying to be achieved? Is it used to support the curriculum? Teachers need to be empowered about how to guide.” As for phone use at school, they haven’t settled the question of whether they need a rule, whether “it’s an issue or not.”

So what about the coming year, which officially starts on Wednesday, September 3 (close to the 10th anniversary of Westside opening its permanent Arbor Heights home)?

Dr. Wright says it’ll be about “strengthening things.” That of course means some changes – which teachers teach which subjects, “moving the schedule around,” improving communication with families, including communication about what their children are learning and why, as well as “how we’re testing, and how we support them if they’re not doing well.”

Also planned for strengthening: Westside School’s relationships with the greater community: “We want to be more of a presence in the community. This is a phenomenal school … we are receptive … we want to work for the greater good of the community.”

That also might mean not just reaching out to community members, but learning from them. Dr. Wright recalls having a major tech CEO on the board of his previous school, and discovering that what what people like them thought kids needed to be studying diverged from what they actually were studying. Those were “eye-opening conversations,” he recalled.

And he’s looking forward to many more conversations of all kinds in his new role: “I’m a person who enjoys having conversations,” so he says he’ll make the time to talk with you, whether you’re a Westside family member or a community member. Being accessible to talk and listen is part of what he sees for schools’ roles as “beacons of community.”

Meantime, Westside has a handful of openings at various grade levels, so if you are school-shopping with weeks to go, Dr. Wright (in person, call him Dr. Daryl) says, “If you have kids who are mission-aligned to be critical thinkers, changemakers for the future, joyful about learning – if that’s part of your vision for kids, reach out to us, talk about how the school can support your goals … get in touch with our enrollment specialists.”