speaker-0: Are you a prospective family that loves hearing about the Derby difference? Then come see it for yourself and then get on a carnival ride. Join Derby Academy's Fall Admission sneak peek on Saturday, October 24th from 10 to 11. Bring the family for a casual campus tour, then stay for the fall fair, with complimentary rides and games wristbands for our tour attendees. School shopping just got a lot more fun. You're welcome, kids. Register now at www.derbyacademy.org, head to our admission page, and register there. Stay for the carnival rides. That's my only advice. Welcome back to the Derby Difference, the podcast where we get to know the people who make Derby Academy such a special community. Today I'm joined by someone who knows Derby from just about every angle. Chris Lawrence is a longtime board member and our new chair of the board of trustees. But perhaps most importantly, a dad to four Derby Academy students: Ryan, Maddie, Libby, and Hannah. I am very excited about this conversation so that Chris can set the tone for the school year and give us a little insight into how the year is going to go. All right. So I am here with Mr. Chris Lawrence. So excited to have you. So tell me a little bit about your Derby experience and your involvement with Derby. So you're a father of four. You got four kiddos here. How has being a Derby parent sort of changed the way you've experienced the school?
speaker-1: Glad to be here. Yeah, I mean we've got ⁓ we've got four children here, as you mentioned. Right. We've got a second grader, a fifth grader, a seventh grader, an eighth grader. So we've had a lot of proximity to kind of the full gamut. ⁓ we started here about four years ago now. Hannah being in the lower school has really kind of had the full gestation. She started as a pre Ker. Hopefully ends up here as a wifer. That's amazing. It's been awesome. So ⁓ You know, I think you get the opportunity to see the different nuances of where the kids have started and then seeing how they've progressed individually. ⁓ and that journey's been different from each one of them just based upon the tenure and how long they've been here for each one. ⁓ it's been remarkable, you know, seeing the continuity in education from you know, Ryan started in fourth grade, Hannah started in pre-K. You can see in Ryan's work how deliberate and how much continuity there is as they grow and going through that. And you can see, ⁓ gee, wow. I can see why they're doing this work with Hannah at such an early age, because I can see it three steps down the road with the work that they're doing in fourth grade with Ryan. And that's just continued as they've gotten older. So I think that it's been really impressive to see how the curriculum is set up, how strategic it is, why they do it the way that they do it. It's been it's been remarkable.
speaker-0: Yeah. I think one of my favorite things about the portrait of a graduate, which we talk about, is every grade level has a grade level appropriate lesson to go along with the portrait of a graduate. It's not like we're telling our pre Kers, hey, this is how you be an empathetic upstander and they look at us like, What what are you talking about? The lesson for pre K is like, this is how you be kind. That's right. And they all understand how to be kind. And then with the eighth graders, it's really taking that next step. And this is how you are a leader. Leaders are empathetic upstanders. Here are some examples of that.
speaker-1: really cool. I said I agree more. As much as it's about the curriculum, it's really about the kind of portion of the graduate and what you're trying to develop in that gestation all the way through Derby. And again, you can see how deliberate everybody is in trying to get to that point when they are in the latter years of their time here at Derby that they're trying to build towards something. Yeah so it's academics, it's a hundred percent also some of those portion of a graduate actually trying to instill in the kids. Well
speaker-0: Very cool. So thinking back to when you first started looking at the school for Ryan, your eighth grader, sure. What was it about Derby that made you say, This is the place for him and this is the place for my family? Yeah.
speaker-1: Really easy answer for both Laura and I. I mean, we walked into some of these classrooms where unscripted in the middle of a science class, a sixth grader or seventh grader, an eighth grader would be asked to stop what they were doing for a moment and go over and explain to Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence exactly what was going on in class today. And these kids were confident. They were poised. They were articulate in the way that they were explaining what they were doing at any given time. And walking out of it, it was like I was blown away. I was so impressed with the way that they were able to be ⁓ just look you in the eye, explain confidently what was going on. ⁓ and I sat there to turn to Laura and I was that this is exactly what these kids should be at this age. Like they they are wise beyond their years, and it's just ⁓ it was really, really impressive. And from there it was like we're we're all in, we want to try and make this happen.
speaker-0: And you and I were talking just before we we got on here about the secondary school fair, which happened ⁓ earlier this week. And I guess when you listen to this, maybe a couple of weeks ago. But the way our seventh and eighth graders handled themselves and those conversations, it still impresses me. And I've been going to the Derby Fair. I I went to the Derby Fair as an admission officer 12 years ago, and I'm still going to it every year now as the secondary school counselor. The way these kids can look an adult in the eye. Tell them about everything that's going on, articulate what they're doing in science class. These admission officers that leave the secondary school fair are blown away by our kids. They they can't believe it. And they're like, how do we get derby kids to our school?
speaker-1: Yeah, it's a testament to the work that you do. It's a testament to the work that Colleen and the whole team here does. That's what you're trying to do. It's what you're trying to build. It it's a differentiator. Not all kids can do it. And I think it's just, you know, sticking with the plan of focusing on your academics, but all of these kind of like small piece leadership, public speaking, being confident in front of adults is so important. ⁓ and then and it's on display. I mean there's no question. As you walk through, I think anybody that was there would say the same thing that Really, really impressed with just the poise and maturity of the kids as they went through that process. There's a lot going on at that secondary school fair. There are kids from all over the place that I don't know, fifty tables there with a whole bunch of individuals that they don't know in schools they may not be familiar with, and they take a lot of risks and going up and introducing themselves to to this person and talking a little bit about the school and what they're interested in and what they have to offer. And it's ⁓ it's really it's impressive. Well
speaker-0: It's really cool. Okay. So switching it up just a little bit, you're the chair of the board, an honor that was bestowed on you, I guess, from ⁓ Jeff Camuso and the rest of the board. You were selected for that. Tell me a little bit about why you wanted to take on this role. Obviously, you're filling some pretty big shoes. Jeff Camuso was an incredible board leader for the time that he was in that role. What made you want to take on that role? Why are you excited about it? What's there to look forward to?
speaker-1: Yeah. ⁓ I think it's hard to articulate until you've seen it how committed to the school Jeff really was. ⁓ he was a great partner to Dr. Ramson. He was a great advocate for the school, for the children, for a capital campaign that we're kicking off. He was just a a very forward thinking, great steward of that position. And he's been a great advocate and help to me as I've transitioned into that seat. I care about this school. I think it's unique. I think that there's so much here that there is ⁓ to grow upon. and to expand and I think that some of our best best years are are right there, right in front of us. ⁓ I think you guys do a remarkable job for the children here. I think it's a great parent experience, ⁓ and it's something that was important to me with four children here at the school that if ⁓ I was asked to step into a a leadership position that I would embrace and try to do the very best that I could. ⁓ it's a it's a job that ⁓ really focuses around driving strategy, high level strategy for the school, and at the same time letting Dr. Ramson and her unbelievable team really kind of like do what they do so well. Yeah. And being supportive and helpful and really being just kind of an asset to her and to you and to her leadership team to make sure that we're doing everything that we can to make Derby as great as it possibly can.
speaker-0: Yeah. And just going back to, well, your role, but then what Jeff did, I don't think people people fully realize how many board meetings there are with all the different committees that you guys have. Being the president of the board, it's not like you show up to your meeting every four months or whatever. It's like almost once a week, it feels like there's some sort of board meeting that you need to be at. So I just think the sheer amount of presence you need to have on campus and in those meetings, I I don't think people ful We realize that. It's it's a lot.
speaker-1: Yeah, it's a you know, it's a fair bit of work. ⁓ if you can't work on behalf of your kids or invest your time for your kids, then I'm not sure I'm kind of where you can put it. Well, well said. ⁓ I think it's a real testament to the trustees. I think it's actually even the broader parent community. Yeah. It's really not I mean, when you look at some of the, you know, ⁓ all of the work that is done by all of these different communities and the grade level involvement, the Parent involvement at Derby is really, really remarkable. And I think as much as it's about making sure that you're doing a good job in this committee or that committee and and helping ⁓ calling and her staff really do the best that they can. It it's really like a full parent community involvement place. Yeah. And ⁓ and I think it's wonderful that there's so much opportunity that's out there that parents can be involved with as much or as little really as they want. ⁓ but they're an awful parent that are really, really involved in this school and I think maybe as much as anything, that's that's what I'm most proud.
speaker-0: Yeah, it's really cool. So when you walk into the Derby Family Connect, the DFC meeting, you know, there's 50 parents there, 60 parents there, and and even more joining via Zoom. Right. ⁓ and I just feel like that maybe wasn't the case when I started five years ago. Maybe there was like a handful or a dozen parents there, but now I just feel like that momentum has shifted and parents want to be more involved. And it's been super helpful. as we continue to build momentum towards the campaign you mentioned, but also getting more students at the school. We're we're fully enrolled. However, we're always looking to to to grow the school in appropriate ways. So I just feel like all of that momentum is building ⁓ to something great. And it's all those like sort of micro moments that you see, whether it's Derby Surfs or the DFC, ⁓ the parent ambassadors, all of those groups are growing. And it's really cool
speaker-1: It's what makes Derby special. Yeah. That's not every I mean, you know it better than anybody. Certainly better than I. But like it's I think that community, people care here, right? They really, really want the best and they're willing to put forth the effort in order to make sure that their voice is heard. Yeah. And that they're doing everything they can to support you and support Doctor Ramson and to really just just build the community. Yeah.
speaker-0: been really fun to watch. So how do you balance being a parent with being a trustee member? I know that that's like kind of a difficult thing. Many of our trustee members are also parents.
speaker-1: let's I think probably we are we're a board of twenty, nineteen of our twenty are parents. Mm-hmm right. ⁓ we all have children, many of them have multiple, multiple children in the in the school that are all dealing with different things at different times. ⁓ I think I would be surprised if there hasn't been a trustee that hasn't reached out to Dr. Ramson to sit down with her about something that was concerning ⁓ their children. Yep. Question, thoughts, you know, just a a check in. ⁓ and yeah, you have to say, Hey, listen, today I'm in your office and you know, we're on the phone with you speaking as a parent and I'm but just want to talk about whomever the child is as a subject of conversation for that day. I think we try really hard to make sure that the trustees kind of like understand that there's a pretty kind of like hard line between being a trustee and being a parent, which, you know, knock on wood, we haven't really had a whole lot of issues around that, but but I think it's human nature. Yeah. Right. The you always kind of are thinking about how is this or that gonna impact my children that are at the school, but I think that our trustees do a remarkable job of really making sure that that's kind of a line that they they follow.
speaker-0: Yeah, absolutely. And I always appreciate when you come in, you're like, I'm here as dad hat is on. I'm here as a father. And then there are times where you come in, you're like, Hey, I'm here as the board chair and we're having a board meeting and this is what I expect. ⁓ and I always appreciate Yeah, that's right. ⁓ and I just always appreciate all the trustees will come in and say, Hey, this is we're having this meeting because I'm on the board and I care about the school and I want to see this be better or this be different. ⁓ and then y I so I think you guys do a really good job of walking that line. It's a it's a difficult one, right? And I also think that there's ⁓ like it's a diverse crowd in that board of trustee room. So it's not all about kids in the middle school and dealing with seventh and eighth grade because there are parents that have pre Kers and second graders and first graders. So it's really like looking at the entire school and if a certain grade level isn't performing Or there's something going on within that grade. Like we wanna know about that so we can help. So I think ⁓ all the trustees do a good job of walking that balance, but I can imagine it'd be pretty tough.
speaker-1: It's you know, it's an important ⁓ having that wide array of people with different experiences with their kids at different points within the school is really, really valuable. I think it's what's makes the board great. Yeah. ⁓ you know, I don't have a graduate. I've never had a a child who's graduated here but you know. Knock on wood. Right? Exactly. Exactly. But we've got multiple parents who've been through it. We've got folks like John Drew who's had multiple children graduate and he's remained. I know it's ⁓
speaker-0: Ryan's gonna do it.
speaker-1: So I think that perspective is really useful as we go through kind of high level strategy and how are we looking in this these different grades and such and information that's presented to us by Dr. Ramsden and by you and Mr. McGoon. ⁓ having that diversity within the board gives us the opportunity to have some really good perspective around kind of what's worked in the past, what maybe hasn't worked in the past, what is the individual challenge that we're trying to address here. And there's a a whole host of folks too that their oldest children are are second graders. Yeah. Right. And they've got a little bit of a different view for it than than trustees whose kids have been out of the school for a period of time. Sure. So ⁓ I think that's right. What makes it ⁓ unique, helpful, yep, ⁓ insightful and hopefully helpful for Dr. Ramson to she set strategy and kind of takes this thing forward and executes. Yeah.
speaker-0: Tell about the big opportunities for the board and for the school coming up. What are you excited about?
speaker-1: Yeah, I ⁓ mentioned it really quickly at the ⁓ back to school night, but I just think that there is so much momentum that we have right now that is so much to be excited about. The capital campaign is off to a really, really strong start. Our enrollment is in a really good spot. The financial situation of the school is the best it's been in a long, long time. ⁓ we've got great teacher engagement. Everything that I'm hearing from your team and from Dr. Ramston is that the teachers are really, really excited to be here that enthusiastic. I I think that there's so much reason for optimism and thinking that the next five to ten years at Derby could be some of the best years that Derby has experienced. ⁓ and I'm really, really excited ⁓ as a trustee and a parent to have the opportunity to kind of ride shotgun and see that come to fruition.
speaker-0: What are few things that Derby can improve on? What are you sort of looking at either as a parent or as the board chair and saying, you know, we can do a little bit better in this?
speaker-1: Cut down on the emails by half. ⁓
speaker-0: That's true. We try. We try our very best. When you get four kids in the school.
speaker-1: I'm from all over the place. But necessary in communication. ⁓
speaker-0: you throw it all in chat GPT and say, Add these events to my calendar? or how do how do you handle all of it? ⁓
speaker-1: ⁓ Laura is an amazing organizer. Yeah, ⁓ and she's incredible in that regard and really just kind of keeping all of the different balls in the air and moving and she's super helpful to me to to make sure that that all gets done correctly. Yeah, my spot. Yep. ⁓ I listen, I think that there's always room for improvement. Right. There's always gonna be opportunities that you look at the landscape in a place like this and say, Hey, listen, there's things we can do better. Sure. And I think the minute that you sit there and say we've we're done. We're good. This is great. ⁓ that that's a dangerous place to be. I don't think that that we look at it that way. I know Dr. Ramston doesn't look at it that way, but I think that there is I think we've come a long way and I think that we're in a very enviable spot in a lot of ways. Yeah. So I think all of ⁓ a big the big challenge for me certainly ⁓ from a board level is making sure that we're just continuing to perpetuate that that momentum, that we add the support that we need, but at the same time if it's not broken, let's not fix it. Right. Right. So let's get better in the areas that we really need to get better. A lot of that is b driven by this strategic plan. Right. We've got a whole host of pillars of things that we feel like that we just put in place at five year strategic plan that really need to be addressed. So we get some pretty objective goals that we really need to meet in making sure that we fulfill those obligations that we put upon ourselves and also laid out to Dr. Williamson and our team. Yep. ⁓ And it's it's a wide ray. I mean, it's making sure that the Derby experience is great. It's making sure that our enrollment stays strong, providing an amazing opportunity for the teachers here, being forward thinking, whether it's about STEM or any of the other kind of emerging trends that are out there, ⁓ getting out there on ⁓ social media, making sure that our presence is appropriate but is really, really strong. ⁓ so there's a lot to be done.
speaker-0: Our new website is there. ⁓
speaker-1: There's a lot to be done and it's a the world changes quickly. Right? Yeah. So the second you feel like you've got a really good handle on something, there's a different wrinkle that all of a sudden is presented to you. And there's a great team here that seems totally capable of ⁓ taking those challenges on and addressing it. So it's there's always work to be done, but I think we're in a pretty good spot.
speaker-0: Right. Me too. So when you think about Derby maybe in five to ten years, Hannah's in eighth grade maybe at that point. Yeah. ⁓ what are some of the things that you hope the school is doing or the hope hope that the school has done in five to ten years?
speaker-1: Yeah, I think it's kind of like a delicate balance where I think there's so much about Derby and the way that it is and its rich history and tradition that really you wanna kinda really keep in place because it's the DNA of Derby. It's kind of what makes the place really special. Yeah. And I think that that is something that I'm very mindful of to kind of realize that this place it started in seventeen eighty four. It's been here a long time. There's some history and tradition. that is I think very important to the school and making it the way that it is. ⁓ and at the same time, I think that in hopefully five to ten years, I mean, you've got a campus here that is something that is going to be decidedly improved, that is going to be an opportunity for children way down the line, way after we're we're gone to enjoy and take advantage of. I think that there's going to be continued investment in teachers and the educational opportunity, keeping those glass sizes, kind of like where they are is really, really important in my mind. ⁓ but having all of the resources that they need in order to make these formative views the best that they possibly can be. I think there's a roadmap to get there. I think it's I think it's gonna happen. Yeah. and ⁓
speaker-0: So yeah. One of the things that's exciting me most about a strategic plan is that campus renewal and making we have a beautiful campus when admission officers come to visit us. They can't believe that our kids are walking in between classes and able to get outside and like all the buildings are redone. ⁓ But I think this place in two years is going to be entirely transformed. And that is so exciting for me as I think about admission work, right? Like bringing people to campus and them seeing all the renovated playground spaces. I I'm I'm really excited about that. It's
speaker-1: big deal. Yeah. It's a big deal. And I think it's going to be transformative. I think there's also a real kind of it's easy to start to think about kind of like the future and gee, what is this campus transformation going to look like? And this is going to be amazing. I mean, every single looking backwards though, I mean the amount of investment that's been put into the school, money back into the school on an annualized basis to update classrooms that hadn't been touched in years. I mean, it's like a rolling continuous effort, the updates to the library that we're done. I mean, our Building and Grounds team has done an amazing job. Anthony Black and Andy McElaney, who've been absolutely instrumental in kind of managing the finances of doing that. It's sometimes a little bit easy to miss, especially if you have a child that isn't necessarily in one of those brand new classes, but I can assure you it's ongoing. Every summer it seems there's another two or three classrooms that are getting redone or H V A C added to the gym so that on final day of graduation that have nobody's like all of these keynote. It's it's all of those little improvements are continuing to happen and happen and happen. They're kind of like a little bit below the radar. But I mean, you look at some of these new classrooms that have just recently been delivered. I mean, it's they're really, really nice. And so you think about all of that work that's been done in order to keep that process going. And then what we have in front of us is an opportunity to make it that much better. And it's it's successful.
speaker-0: Yeah, I would ⁓ highly recommend if you haven't been in the day building and you haven't been in Gleason, take a stop by as a parent. Just pop your head into those new spaces. They're clean, they're bright, it's a great place to learn, right? I mean, the the kids are just excited to be in those classrooms. It makes a huge difference. And and you're right, the entire lower school has been renovated. the Terry Library has been renovated, the Gleason, the day building, and we just kind of keep moving around to the Yeah, to the different classrooms.
speaker-1: Shout out to the Derby ⁓ Billing and Grounds team here on I mean, like they're fantastic. And I would
speaker-0: was ⁓ with John Duddy until nine o'clock last night cleaning up the secondary school fair. The guy's like literally he never goes home, it doesn't seem like couches. It's no wonder it's so warm.
speaker-1: Yeah, it's gonna part it somewhere. It's hard to you know, that dedication it's what makes things special. I mean, Dr. Ramsden standing out there in an umbrella at seven thirty at night for a sixth grade game night welcoming everybody like that commitment. Yeah. I mean the teacher commitment and the folks who were off at Model UN last weekend doing that whole thing and you go to Derby Day and the excitement and all of these different faculty staff all involved and so engaged in that. I mean that it you just that's That's hard to replicate. Yeah. You know? It's really
speaker-0: Cool. And and like to the culture that Colleen has built, it's teachers wanna be here. They're excited to be here. ⁓ you heard the new faculty episode of the podcast. All of those teachers are they feel lucky and grateful to be working here. And we feel lucky and grateful to have such an amazing team added to our already amazing team. It's ⁓ it's really exciting. It's really cool. All right. So we've we've talked for a while. Yeah. And and now I want to get into a speed round.
speaker-1: The secret sauce.
speaker-0: Because I feel like these are maybe the best questions and maybe we'll we'll expose you. Okay, so backstory. I went to Maddie, I went to Livy, I went to Ryan, asking them to give me something embarrassing about you. ⁓ And your kids couldn't come up with anything. Really? And I was like, How what? Like, you you have nothing embarrassing to say about your dad? So nice work. I think my kids would have like a, you know, an hour of embarrassing things that I do at home that they would love to expose, but your kids were like, No, actually he's a great dad and like there's not much to expose. I was looking for like something to kind of like needle you, but but nothing. But nothing. ⁓ So you you paid him well. You paid ⁓ well. ⁓ so let's get into a speed round. ⁓ I'll ask you questions and it's just the first thing that comes to mind and we'll go rapid fire. Best derby tradition.
speaker-1: Okay. Kind of a bummer. Solidarity. ⁓ ⁓ last chapel.
speaker-0: Favorite sporting event to watch?
speaker-1: Already.
speaker-0: ⁓ tell tell a little bit more about that 'cause it's my favorite one too.
speaker-1: Yeah, it's a nice hockey game. ⁓ it's like one game that's really kind of like a full school turnout, ⁓ faces painted, ⁓ flags waving, all blue and white, ⁓ packed with parents, packed with kids, rowdy crowd, cheering for everybody else on T I mean, it's just it's the it's an awesome environment. If you haven't I mean we we'll put something out there. If you haven't seen it before, you really, really should.
speaker-0: Totally agree. It's great. ⁓ hockey rank or soccer field? ⁓ favorite sport to play. Are you still playing sports?
speaker-1: ⁓ I'm not playing sports, just this. I am not. I don't know. Yeah. ⁓ what's my football? Football.
speaker-0: Yeah. Most competitive Lawrence.
speaker-1: Ooh, Matty.
speaker-0: Funniest Lawrence.
speaker-1: Hannah.
speaker-0: ⁓ best quality your kids have inherited from you.
speaker-1: ⁓ I think our kids are pretty kind kids. I think they do a pretty good job of taking care of people.
speaker-0: Very nice. Okay, cool. So I got two more questions for you and then I'll let you off the hot seat. What's one thing you hope that every Derby student takes with them when they graduate?
speaker-1: Yeah, I hope that they feel like this is a place that they can always come back to. I hope feel hopefully feel that they we're taken care of here, that there are people here that really care about them long after they go off on their way and make their way in the world, that there is place that's always here to welcome them, to come back, to be engaged with, ⁓ really try and learn those ⁓ lessons of leadership and confidence. You're coming from an amazing place here. It's gonna set you off to do whatever it is in this world that you wanna do. and just try to always hearken back to kind of some of those lessons that you learned here while you're hearing.
speaker-0: Yeah. One of my favorite things that I do in in my role is I get to go and see the alumni at these places. ⁓ and they were so excited to see Derby Academy coming into their new school, right? So going to BC High, Middlesex, Brooks, we've kind of hit all the sort of local boarding and day schools. ⁓ and the kids are so excited to show us it's usually me, Mr. Andreoli, ⁓ Mr. Travis, and there's kind of like a rotating cast of of teachers and staff that go over. ⁓ and they're just so excited to show us their new space. And the kids are all doing so remarkably well.
speaker-1: Can't fake that pride, right? Like you can't they're they're excited and genuinely happy to see you and the team for a reason. Yeah. Right.
speaker-0: Appreciate that. ⁓ and final question. Yeah. What does the derby difference mean to you? So that's the question that I ask. Well, that's the derby difference. That's the podcast name. What does it mean to you, either as a parent or as the board of trustees, or kind of a combination?
speaker-1: Yeah, I think that derby difference is unless you've kind of been here and seen it, it's like a little bit difficult to articulate, right? It's it's kids that have gone through the process here, have stuck to a game plan, have learned a lot of really important lessons that are so important, well well beyond when they leave here. It's things that they're gonna take with us. It's being confident, it's being able to meet somebody that you don't necessarily know, look them in the eye and have a good conversation with them, regardless of kind of who they are, what the circumstances are. It's hard work. It's really kind of focusing and studying and putting in the time and effort that's ultimately going to yield great results. And I think some combination of all that kind of like kindness and a warm environment, ⁓ that full gestation going from a a younger kid all the way being a leader ⁓ at the end of their time here is just ⁓ it's really unique. It's remarkable. ⁓ I think the parents see it. I think the the children as they start to kind of leave here probably have a little bit more of kind of like a retrospective view of it and be like, that's actually pretty cool. Yeah. But you don't really know until you know. Mm-hmm. We've all had those opportunities, I think, where you kind of look back on it and when you're in it, you never really kind of fully appreciate what it is. But once you're out, you geez, that was pretty, pretty incredible. ⁓ and so I I just I think it's a lot of different things. Yeah. ⁓ I think they would try and quantify it a bit with the the portrait of a graduate to try and kind of put a little bit of brackets around it on what some of those things are. ⁓ but I think the students here are just doing a remarkable job of kind of listening to these lessons, kind of letting them give ⁓ a big hug and then learning from it and then employing it into their day to day life. And I think that's that's what makes this place special.
speaker-0: Chris Lawrence, thank you very much, sir. Thanks for telling. Absolutely. Really appreciate it. Very good.
speaker-1: Thank you for having me.
speaker-1: Glad to be here. Yeah, I mean we've got ⁓ we've got four children here, as you mentioned. Right. We've got a second grader, a fifth grader, a seventh grader, an eighth grader. So we've had a lot of proximity to kind of the full gamut. ⁓ we started here about four years ago now. Hannah being in the lower school has really kind of had the full gestation. She started as a pre Ker. Hopefully ends up here as a wifer. That's amazing. It's been awesome. So ⁓ You know, I think you get the opportunity to see the different nuances of where the kids have started and then seeing how they've progressed individually. ⁓ and that journey's been different from each one of them just based upon the tenure and how long they've been here for each one. ⁓ it's been remarkable, you know, seeing the continuity in education from you know, Ryan started in fourth grade, Hannah started in pre-K. You can see in Ryan's work how deliberate and how much continuity there is as they grow and going through that. And you can see, ⁓ gee, wow. I can see why they're doing this work with Hannah at such an early age, because I can see it three steps down the road with the work that they're doing in fourth grade with Ryan. And that's just continued as they've gotten older. So I think that it's been really impressive to see how the curriculum is set up, how strategic it is, why they do it the way that they do it. It's been it's been remarkable.
speaker-0: Yeah. I think one of my favorite things about the portrait of a graduate, which we talk about, is every grade level has a grade level appropriate lesson to go along with the portrait of a graduate. It's not like we're telling our pre Kers, hey, this is how you be an empathetic upstander and they look at us like, What what are you talking about? The lesson for pre K is like, this is how you be kind. That's right. And they all understand how to be kind. And then with the eighth graders, it's really taking that next step. And this is how you are a leader. Leaders are empathetic upstanders. Here are some examples of that.
speaker-1: really cool. I said I agree more. As much as it's about the curriculum, it's really about the kind of portion of the graduate and what you're trying to develop in that gestation all the way through Derby. And again, you can see how deliberate everybody is in trying to get to that point when they are in the latter years of their time here at Derby that they're trying to build towards something. Yeah so it's academics, it's a hundred percent also some of those portion of a graduate actually trying to instill in the kids. Well
speaker-0: Very cool. So thinking back to when you first started looking at the school for Ryan, your eighth grader, sure. What was it about Derby that made you say, This is the place for him and this is the place for my family? Yeah.
speaker-1: Really easy answer for both Laura and I. I mean, we walked into some of these classrooms where unscripted in the middle of a science class, a sixth grader or seventh grader, an eighth grader would be asked to stop what they were doing for a moment and go over and explain to Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence exactly what was going on in class today. And these kids were confident. They were poised. They were articulate in the way that they were explaining what they were doing at any given time. And walking out of it, it was like I was blown away. I was so impressed with the way that they were able to be ⁓ just look you in the eye, explain confidently what was going on. ⁓ and I sat there to turn to Laura and I was that this is exactly what these kids should be at this age. Like they they are wise beyond their years, and it's just ⁓ it was really, really impressive. And from there it was like we're we're all in, we want to try and make this happen.
speaker-0: And you and I were talking just before we we got on here about the secondary school fair, which happened ⁓ earlier this week. And I guess when you listen to this, maybe a couple of weeks ago. But the way our seventh and eighth graders handled themselves and those conversations, it still impresses me. And I've been going to the Derby Fair. I I went to the Derby Fair as an admission officer 12 years ago, and I'm still going to it every year now as the secondary school counselor. The way these kids can look an adult in the eye. Tell them about everything that's going on, articulate what they're doing in science class. These admission officers that leave the secondary school fair are blown away by our kids. They they can't believe it. And they're like, how do we get derby kids to our school?
speaker-1: Yeah, it's a testament to the work that you do. It's a testament to the work that Colleen and the whole team here does. That's what you're trying to do. It's what you're trying to build. It it's a differentiator. Not all kids can do it. And I think it's just, you know, sticking with the plan of focusing on your academics, but all of these kind of like small piece leadership, public speaking, being confident in front of adults is so important. ⁓ and then and it's on display. I mean there's no question. As you walk through, I think anybody that was there would say the same thing that Really, really impressed with just the poise and maturity of the kids as they went through that process. There's a lot going on at that secondary school fair. There are kids from all over the place that I don't know, fifty tables there with a whole bunch of individuals that they don't know in schools they may not be familiar with, and they take a lot of risks and going up and introducing themselves to to this person and talking a little bit about the school and what they're interested in and what they have to offer. And it's ⁓ it's really it's impressive. Well
speaker-0: It's really cool. Okay. So switching it up just a little bit, you're the chair of the board, an honor that was bestowed on you, I guess, from ⁓ Jeff Camuso and the rest of the board. You were selected for that. Tell me a little bit about why you wanted to take on this role. Obviously, you're filling some pretty big shoes. Jeff Camuso was an incredible board leader for the time that he was in that role. What made you want to take on that role? Why are you excited about it? What's there to look forward to?
speaker-1: Yeah. ⁓ I think it's hard to articulate until you've seen it how committed to the school Jeff really was. ⁓ he was a great partner to Dr. Ramson. He was a great advocate for the school, for the children, for a capital campaign that we're kicking off. He was just a a very forward thinking, great steward of that position. And he's been a great advocate and help to me as I've transitioned into that seat. I care about this school. I think it's unique. I think that there's so much here that there is ⁓ to grow upon. and to expand and I think that some of our best best years are are right there, right in front of us. ⁓ I think you guys do a remarkable job for the children here. I think it's a great parent experience, ⁓ and it's something that was important to me with four children here at the school that if ⁓ I was asked to step into a a leadership position that I would embrace and try to do the very best that I could. ⁓ it's a it's a job that ⁓ really focuses around driving strategy, high level strategy for the school, and at the same time letting Dr. Ramson and her unbelievable team really kind of like do what they do so well. Yeah. And being supportive and helpful and really being just kind of an asset to her and to you and to her leadership team to make sure that we're doing everything that we can to make Derby as great as it possibly can.
speaker-0: Yeah. And just going back to, well, your role, but then what Jeff did, I don't think people people fully realize how many board meetings there are with all the different committees that you guys have. Being the president of the board, it's not like you show up to your meeting every four months or whatever. It's like almost once a week, it feels like there's some sort of board meeting that you need to be at. So I just think the sheer amount of presence you need to have on campus and in those meetings, I I don't think people ful We realize that. It's it's a lot.
speaker-1: Yeah, it's a you know, it's a fair bit of work. ⁓ if you can't work on behalf of your kids or invest your time for your kids, then I'm not sure I'm kind of where you can put it. Well, well said. ⁓ I think it's a real testament to the trustees. I think it's actually even the broader parent community. Yeah. It's really not I mean, when you look at some of the, you know, ⁓ all of the work that is done by all of these different communities and the grade level involvement, the Parent involvement at Derby is really, really remarkable. And I think as much as it's about making sure that you're doing a good job in this committee or that committee and and helping ⁓ calling and her staff really do the best that they can. It it's really like a full parent community involvement place. Yeah. And ⁓ and I think it's wonderful that there's so much opportunity that's out there that parents can be involved with as much or as little really as they want. ⁓ but they're an awful parent that are really, really involved in this school and I think maybe as much as anything, that's that's what I'm most proud.
speaker-0: Yeah, it's really cool. So when you walk into the Derby Family Connect, the DFC meeting, you know, there's 50 parents there, 60 parents there, and and even more joining via Zoom. Right. ⁓ and I just feel like that maybe wasn't the case when I started five years ago. Maybe there was like a handful or a dozen parents there, but now I just feel like that momentum has shifted and parents want to be more involved. And it's been super helpful. as we continue to build momentum towards the campaign you mentioned, but also getting more students at the school. We're we're fully enrolled. However, we're always looking to to to grow the school in appropriate ways. So I just feel like all of that momentum is building ⁓ to something great. And it's all those like sort of micro moments that you see, whether it's Derby Surfs or the DFC, ⁓ the parent ambassadors, all of those groups are growing. And it's really cool
speaker-1: It's what makes Derby special. Yeah. That's not every I mean, you know it better than anybody. Certainly better than I. But like it's I think that community, people care here, right? They really, really want the best and they're willing to put forth the effort in order to make sure that their voice is heard. Yeah. And that they're doing everything they can to support you and support Doctor Ramson and to really just just build the community. Yeah.
speaker-0: been really fun to watch. So how do you balance being a parent with being a trustee member? I know that that's like kind of a difficult thing. Many of our trustee members are also parents.
speaker-1: let's I think probably we are we're a board of twenty, nineteen of our twenty are parents. Mm-hmm right. ⁓ we all have children, many of them have multiple, multiple children in the in the school that are all dealing with different things at different times. ⁓ I think I would be surprised if there hasn't been a trustee that hasn't reached out to Dr. Ramson to sit down with her about something that was concerning ⁓ their children. Yep. Question, thoughts, you know, just a a check in. ⁓ and yeah, you have to say, Hey, listen, today I'm in your office and you know, we're on the phone with you speaking as a parent and I'm but just want to talk about whomever the child is as a subject of conversation for that day. I think we try really hard to make sure that the trustees kind of like understand that there's a pretty kind of like hard line between being a trustee and being a parent, which, you know, knock on wood, we haven't really had a whole lot of issues around that, but but I think it's human nature. Yeah. Right. The you always kind of are thinking about how is this or that gonna impact my children that are at the school, but I think that our trustees do a remarkable job of really making sure that that's kind of a line that they they follow.
speaker-0: Yeah, absolutely. And I always appreciate when you come in, you're like, I'm here as dad hat is on. I'm here as a father. And then there are times where you come in, you're like, Hey, I'm here as the board chair and we're having a board meeting and this is what I expect. ⁓ and I always appreciate Yeah, that's right. ⁓ and I just always appreciate all the trustees will come in and say, Hey, this is we're having this meeting because I'm on the board and I care about the school and I want to see this be better or this be different. ⁓ and then y I so I think you guys do a really good job of walking that line. It's a it's a difficult one, right? And I also think that there's ⁓ like it's a diverse crowd in that board of trustee room. So it's not all about kids in the middle school and dealing with seventh and eighth grade because there are parents that have pre Kers and second graders and first graders. So it's really like looking at the entire school and if a certain grade level isn't performing Or there's something going on within that grade. Like we wanna know about that so we can help. So I think ⁓ all the trustees do a good job of walking that balance, but I can imagine it'd be pretty tough.
speaker-1: It's you know, it's an important ⁓ having that wide array of people with different experiences with their kids at different points within the school is really, really valuable. I think it's what's makes the board great. Yeah. ⁓ you know, I don't have a graduate. I've never had a a child who's graduated here but you know. Knock on wood. Right? Exactly. Exactly. But we've got multiple parents who've been through it. We've got folks like John Drew who's had multiple children graduate and he's remained. I know it's ⁓
speaker-0: Ryan's gonna do it.
speaker-1: So I think that perspective is really useful as we go through kind of high level strategy and how are we looking in this these different grades and such and information that's presented to us by Dr. Ramsden and by you and Mr. McGoon. ⁓ having that diversity within the board gives us the opportunity to have some really good perspective around kind of what's worked in the past, what maybe hasn't worked in the past, what is the individual challenge that we're trying to address here. And there's a a whole host of folks too that their oldest children are are second graders. Yeah. Right. And they've got a little bit of a different view for it than than trustees whose kids have been out of the school for a period of time. Sure. So ⁓ I think that's right. What makes it ⁓ unique, helpful, yep, ⁓ insightful and hopefully helpful for Dr. Ramson to she set strategy and kind of takes this thing forward and executes. Yeah.
speaker-0: Tell about the big opportunities for the board and for the school coming up. What are you excited about?
speaker-1: Yeah, I ⁓ mentioned it really quickly at the ⁓ back to school night, but I just think that there is so much momentum that we have right now that is so much to be excited about. The capital campaign is off to a really, really strong start. Our enrollment is in a really good spot. The financial situation of the school is the best it's been in a long, long time. ⁓ we've got great teacher engagement. Everything that I'm hearing from your team and from Dr. Ramston is that the teachers are really, really excited to be here that enthusiastic. I I think that there's so much reason for optimism and thinking that the next five to ten years at Derby could be some of the best years that Derby has experienced. ⁓ and I'm really, really excited ⁓ as a trustee and a parent to have the opportunity to kind of ride shotgun and see that come to fruition.
speaker-0: What are few things that Derby can improve on? What are you sort of looking at either as a parent or as the board chair and saying, you know, we can do a little bit better in this?
speaker-1: Cut down on the emails by half. ⁓
speaker-0: That's true. We try. We try our very best. When you get four kids in the school.
speaker-1: I'm from all over the place. But necessary in communication. ⁓
speaker-0: you throw it all in chat GPT and say, Add these events to my calendar? or how do how do you handle all of it? ⁓
speaker-1: ⁓ Laura is an amazing organizer. Yeah, ⁓ and she's incredible in that regard and really just kind of keeping all of the different balls in the air and moving and she's super helpful to me to to make sure that that all gets done correctly. Yeah, my spot. Yep. ⁓ I listen, I think that there's always room for improvement. Right. There's always gonna be opportunities that you look at the landscape in a place like this and say, Hey, listen, there's things we can do better. Sure. And I think the minute that you sit there and say we've we're done. We're good. This is great. ⁓ that that's a dangerous place to be. I don't think that that we look at it that way. I know Dr. Ramston doesn't look at it that way, but I think that there is I think we've come a long way and I think that we're in a very enviable spot in a lot of ways. Yeah. So I think all of ⁓ a big the big challenge for me certainly ⁓ from a board level is making sure that we're just continuing to perpetuate that that momentum, that we add the support that we need, but at the same time if it's not broken, let's not fix it. Right. Right. So let's get better in the areas that we really need to get better. A lot of that is b driven by this strategic plan. Right. We've got a whole host of pillars of things that we feel like that we just put in place at five year strategic plan that really need to be addressed. So we get some pretty objective goals that we really need to meet in making sure that we fulfill those obligations that we put upon ourselves and also laid out to Dr. Williamson and our team. Yep. ⁓ And it's it's a wide ray. I mean, it's making sure that the Derby experience is great. It's making sure that our enrollment stays strong, providing an amazing opportunity for the teachers here, being forward thinking, whether it's about STEM or any of the other kind of emerging trends that are out there, ⁓ getting out there on ⁓ social media, making sure that our presence is appropriate but is really, really strong. ⁓ so there's a lot to be done.
speaker-0: Our new website is there. ⁓
speaker-1: There's a lot to be done and it's a the world changes quickly. Right? Yeah. So the second you feel like you've got a really good handle on something, there's a different wrinkle that all of a sudden is presented to you. And there's a great team here that seems totally capable of ⁓ taking those challenges on and addressing it. So it's there's always work to be done, but I think we're in a pretty good spot.
speaker-0: Right. Me too. So when you think about Derby maybe in five to ten years, Hannah's in eighth grade maybe at that point. Yeah. ⁓ what are some of the things that you hope the school is doing or the hope hope that the school has done in five to ten years?
speaker-1: Yeah, I think it's kind of like a delicate balance where I think there's so much about Derby and the way that it is and its rich history and tradition that really you wanna kinda really keep in place because it's the DNA of Derby. It's kind of what makes the place really special. Yeah. And I think that that is something that I'm very mindful of to kind of realize that this place it started in seventeen eighty four. It's been here a long time. There's some history and tradition. that is I think very important to the school and making it the way that it is. ⁓ and at the same time, I think that in hopefully five to ten years, I mean, you've got a campus here that is something that is going to be decidedly improved, that is going to be an opportunity for children way down the line, way after we're we're gone to enjoy and take advantage of. I think that there's going to be continued investment in teachers and the educational opportunity, keeping those glass sizes, kind of like where they are is really, really important in my mind. ⁓ but having all of the resources that they need in order to make these formative views the best that they possibly can be. I think there's a roadmap to get there. I think it's I think it's gonna happen. Yeah. and ⁓
speaker-0: So yeah. One of the things that's exciting me most about a strategic plan is that campus renewal and making we have a beautiful campus when admission officers come to visit us. They can't believe that our kids are walking in between classes and able to get outside and like all the buildings are redone. ⁓ But I think this place in two years is going to be entirely transformed. And that is so exciting for me as I think about admission work, right? Like bringing people to campus and them seeing all the renovated playground spaces. I I'm I'm really excited about that. It's
speaker-1: big deal. Yeah. It's a big deal. And I think it's going to be transformative. I think there's also a real kind of it's easy to start to think about kind of like the future and gee, what is this campus transformation going to look like? And this is going to be amazing. I mean, every single looking backwards though, I mean the amount of investment that's been put into the school, money back into the school on an annualized basis to update classrooms that hadn't been touched in years. I mean, it's like a rolling continuous effort, the updates to the library that we're done. I mean, our Building and Grounds team has done an amazing job. Anthony Black and Andy McElaney, who've been absolutely instrumental in kind of managing the finances of doing that. It's sometimes a little bit easy to miss, especially if you have a child that isn't necessarily in one of those brand new classes, but I can assure you it's ongoing. Every summer it seems there's another two or three classrooms that are getting redone or H V A C added to the gym so that on final day of graduation that have nobody's like all of these keynote. It's it's all of those little improvements are continuing to happen and happen and happen. They're kind of like a little bit below the radar. But I mean, you look at some of these new classrooms that have just recently been delivered. I mean, it's they're really, really nice. And so you think about all of that work that's been done in order to keep that process going. And then what we have in front of us is an opportunity to make it that much better. And it's it's successful.
speaker-0: Yeah, I would ⁓ highly recommend if you haven't been in the day building and you haven't been in Gleason, take a stop by as a parent. Just pop your head into those new spaces. They're clean, they're bright, it's a great place to learn, right? I mean, the the kids are just excited to be in those classrooms. It makes a huge difference. And and you're right, the entire lower school has been renovated. the Terry Library has been renovated, the Gleason, the day building, and we just kind of keep moving around to the Yeah, to the different classrooms.
speaker-1: Shout out to the Derby ⁓ Billing and Grounds team here on I mean, like they're fantastic. And I would
speaker-0: was ⁓ with John Duddy until nine o'clock last night cleaning up the secondary school fair. The guy's like literally he never goes home, it doesn't seem like couches. It's no wonder it's so warm.
speaker-1: Yeah, it's gonna part it somewhere. It's hard to you know, that dedication it's what makes things special. I mean, Dr. Ramsden standing out there in an umbrella at seven thirty at night for a sixth grade game night welcoming everybody like that commitment. Yeah. I mean the teacher commitment and the folks who were off at Model UN last weekend doing that whole thing and you go to Derby Day and the excitement and all of these different faculty staff all involved and so engaged in that. I mean that it you just that's That's hard to replicate. Yeah. You know? It's really
speaker-0: Cool. And and like to the culture that Colleen has built, it's teachers wanna be here. They're excited to be here. ⁓ you heard the new faculty episode of the podcast. All of those teachers are they feel lucky and grateful to be working here. And we feel lucky and grateful to have such an amazing team added to our already amazing team. It's ⁓ it's really exciting. It's really cool. All right. So we've we've talked for a while. Yeah. And and now I want to get into a speed round.
speaker-1: The secret sauce.
speaker-0: Because I feel like these are maybe the best questions and maybe we'll we'll expose you. Okay, so backstory. I went to Maddie, I went to Livy, I went to Ryan, asking them to give me something embarrassing about you. ⁓ And your kids couldn't come up with anything. Really? And I was like, How what? Like, you you have nothing embarrassing to say about your dad? So nice work. I think my kids would have like a, you know, an hour of embarrassing things that I do at home that they would love to expose, but your kids were like, No, actually he's a great dad and like there's not much to expose. I was looking for like something to kind of like needle you, but but nothing. But nothing. ⁓ So you you paid him well. You paid ⁓ well. ⁓ so let's get into a speed round. ⁓ I'll ask you questions and it's just the first thing that comes to mind and we'll go rapid fire. Best derby tradition.
speaker-1: Okay. Kind of a bummer. Solidarity. ⁓ ⁓ last chapel.
speaker-0: Favorite sporting event to watch?
speaker-1: Already.
speaker-0: ⁓ tell tell a little bit more about that 'cause it's my favorite one too.
speaker-1: Yeah, it's a nice hockey game. ⁓ it's like one game that's really kind of like a full school turnout, ⁓ faces painted, ⁓ flags waving, all blue and white, ⁓ packed with parents, packed with kids, rowdy crowd, cheering for everybody else on T I mean, it's just it's the it's an awesome environment. If you haven't I mean we we'll put something out there. If you haven't seen it before, you really, really should.
speaker-0: Totally agree. It's great. ⁓ hockey rank or soccer field? ⁓ favorite sport to play. Are you still playing sports?
speaker-1: ⁓ I'm not playing sports, just this. I am not. I don't know. Yeah. ⁓ what's my football? Football.
speaker-0: Yeah. Most competitive Lawrence.
speaker-1: Ooh, Matty.
speaker-0: Funniest Lawrence.
speaker-1: Hannah.
speaker-0: ⁓ best quality your kids have inherited from you.
speaker-1: ⁓ I think our kids are pretty kind kids. I think they do a pretty good job of taking care of people.
speaker-0: Very nice. Okay, cool. So I got two more questions for you and then I'll let you off the hot seat. What's one thing you hope that every Derby student takes with them when they graduate?
speaker-1: Yeah, I hope that they feel like this is a place that they can always come back to. I hope feel hopefully feel that they we're taken care of here, that there are people here that really care about them long after they go off on their way and make their way in the world, that there is place that's always here to welcome them, to come back, to be engaged with, ⁓ really try and learn those ⁓ lessons of leadership and confidence. You're coming from an amazing place here. It's gonna set you off to do whatever it is in this world that you wanna do. and just try to always hearken back to kind of some of those lessons that you learned here while you're hearing.
speaker-0: Yeah. One of my favorite things that I do in in my role is I get to go and see the alumni at these places. ⁓ and they were so excited to see Derby Academy coming into their new school, right? So going to BC High, Middlesex, Brooks, we've kind of hit all the sort of local boarding and day schools. ⁓ and the kids are so excited to show us it's usually me, Mr. Andreoli, ⁓ Mr. Travis, and there's kind of like a rotating cast of of teachers and staff that go over. ⁓ and they're just so excited to show us their new space. And the kids are all doing so remarkably well.
speaker-1: Can't fake that pride, right? Like you can't they're they're excited and genuinely happy to see you and the team for a reason. Yeah. Right.
speaker-0: Appreciate that. ⁓ and final question. Yeah. What does the derby difference mean to you? So that's the question that I ask. Well, that's the derby difference. That's the podcast name. What does it mean to you, either as a parent or as the board of trustees, or kind of a combination?
speaker-1: Yeah, I think that derby difference is unless you've kind of been here and seen it, it's like a little bit difficult to articulate, right? It's it's kids that have gone through the process here, have stuck to a game plan, have learned a lot of really important lessons that are so important, well well beyond when they leave here. It's things that they're gonna take with us. It's being confident, it's being able to meet somebody that you don't necessarily know, look them in the eye and have a good conversation with them, regardless of kind of who they are, what the circumstances are. It's hard work. It's really kind of focusing and studying and putting in the time and effort that's ultimately going to yield great results. And I think some combination of all that kind of like kindness and a warm environment, ⁓ that full gestation going from a a younger kid all the way being a leader ⁓ at the end of their time here is just ⁓ it's really unique. It's remarkable. ⁓ I think the parents see it. I think the the children as they start to kind of leave here probably have a little bit more of kind of like a retrospective view of it and be like, that's actually pretty cool. Yeah. But you don't really know until you know. Mm-hmm. We've all had those opportunities, I think, where you kind of look back on it and when you're in it, you never really kind of fully appreciate what it is. But once you're out, you geez, that was pretty, pretty incredible. ⁓ and so I I just I think it's a lot of different things. Yeah. ⁓ I think they would try and quantify it a bit with the the portrait of a graduate to try and kind of put a little bit of brackets around it on what some of those things are. ⁓ but I think the students here are just doing a remarkable job of kind of listening to these lessons, kind of letting them give ⁓ a big hug and then learning from it and then employing it into their day to day life. And I think that's that's what makes this place special.
speaker-0: Chris Lawrence, thank you very much, sir. Thanks for telling. Absolutely. Really appreciate it. Very good.
speaker-1: Thank you for having me.
