In a bustling upper school, the figure of a dean embodies order, discipline, and most importantly, harmony. Students and staff alike rely on their dean to create a bridge between all parts of the community, and without them, a community threatens to fall apart.
With Dean of Students Mr. Luqman Kolade’s absence, the administration had to take several steps to make the transition as smooth as possible.
“Mr. Kolade is an invaluable asset to the upper school,” Head of Upper School Mr. Mark Fifer said. “Just his presence alone adds a lot, so there were some things we could account for and other intangible things that were hard to account for.”
After a series of meetings, Mr. Kolade’s responsibilities were evenly distributed amongst the four form deans. Things like following up with attendance, afternoon detentions, and community programming all had to be accounted for, and the form deans were up for the task.
“Personally, I’ve noticed that after Mr. Kolade’s absence there hasn’t been as much strenuous enforcement of communal standards within the school, like dress code, skipping assembly, skipping class.”
Dylan Kao ’23
“For me, the biggest thing has been standing up in front of everybody in the assemblies,” Sixth Form Dean Ms. Brooke Kenna said. “Mr. Kolade has a natural way about it, so it’s big shoes to fill, but it’s been a lot of fun. I think I’ll be ready to hand it back over to him when he gets back.”
The administration had to make accommodations for attendance, something Mr. Kolade was known to be on top of. Third Form Dean Mr. Steven Cloran took the lead on sending notes to students with unexcused absences. Despite his efforts, students feel a noticeable difference in enforcement.
“Personally, I’ve noticed that after Mr. Kolade’s absence there hasn’t been as much strenuous enforcement of communal standards within the school, like dress code, skipping assembly, skipping class,” Sixth Former Dylan Kao said. “One example of this is the visits Mr. Kolade made to classes to talk to kids who have skipped class or assembly. Ever since Mr. Kolade has gone on leave, this stopped completely.”
Despite having less enforcement in certain areas, the overall atmosphere of the school has not changed as drastically as the school had prepared for. The student body, for the most part, has remained in dress code, kept up assembly attendance, and generally maintained a respectable communal environment.
“Anytime you take a Mr. Kolade out of the mix, because he is such a fixture here in the student world, there is bound to be some level of impact,” Mr. Fifer said. “I don’t know if I’ve felt a significant shift in seismic ways. Just a little more laziness and perhaps a little fraying around the edges with the dress code.”
Nonetheless, the administration has done a superb job of filling the all-encompassing role of a dean like Mr. Kolade, and is definitely looking forward to his return on May 15.
“I am really looking forward to having Mr. Kolade come back,” Mr. Fifer said. “He is such an important part of what we do around here, and I can predict the students are looking forward to seeing him as well.”
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