Over the last six years Mr. Jeremy Hart has filled many roles at Haverford: history teacher, Fourth Form Dean, Honor Council advisor, lacrosse coach, and college counselor. He prepares to move on to a new role as Dean of Students at St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“I arrived at Haverford when I was twenty-five years old, and I was still figuring out what I believed about education. I am leaving with a good sense of what I value most in education, which is the relationships and preparing students to be good citizens. I strongly believe we need more good people, not necessarily more smart people,” Mr. Hart said.
Mr. Hart comes from a family of educators, which gives him a unique understanding that school communities are not just made up of students or teachers, administrators, or staff, but rather the connections and collaborations these separate groups form with one another.
“My time here has allowed me to gain perspective on not only teaching and student life but also how the parts work behind the scenes,” Mr. Hart said. “It has given me a deep sense of the community. The sum of the parts here come together really well.”
My time here has allowed me to gain perspective on not only teaching and student life but also how the parts work behind the scenes.
Mr. Jeremy Hart
Mr. Hart’s popular International Relations class reflects his fun and laid-back personality as well as his approach to relationship-based teaching. “It is current events oriented; it helps explain the world. A lot of students really enjoy having a class where there is not necessarily a right answer but a perspective to be formed and an argument to be made,” Mr. Hart said.
Mr. Hart’s work with the Honor Council has been most meaningful to him.
“When I came here, the Honor Council was focused on discipline and discipline alone. I am proud of the work Honor Council representatives have done over the last six years to implement cross divisional programming with the middle school as well as educational programming in the upper school about the Honor Council process and its intention to be a supportive body rather than a punitive one.”
Mr. Hart contributes the growth of the Honor Council to past student leaders.
“I give so much credit to Sixth Former Ryan Davey, John Zhang ’22, Gabe Gowen ’21, and other past Chairmen for moving the Honor Council from a discipline focus to an education focus,” Mr. Hart said.
In addition to taking pride in the group’s growth over the years, Mr. Hart believes that there is still room to improve.
“I think the Honor Council has done a really good job of bridging a lot of gaps between students, and I think there remains great opportunity for it to bridge gaps between students and faculty in the future,” Mr. Hart said.
Mr. Hart is the kind of mentor who doesn’t just guide you, he pushes you to come to your own conclusions and make decisions for yourself.
Mr. Jeremy Hart
While he is quick to pass credit for positive changes with Honor Council onto students, Mr. Hart’s positive influence and impact on students is significant.
“Mr. Hart is the kind of mentor who doesn’t just guide you, he pushes you to come to your own conclusions and make decisions for yourself. Mr. Hart has shown me how to be a great man my own way,” outgoing Honor Council Chairman Ryan Davey said.
Rising Sixth Former and Honor Council Chairman Luke Fesnak concurs.
“Mr. Hart has taught me principles that make a great chairman,” Fesnak said. “His experience and his ability as a leader has helped curate me into a better leader myself. Even better, he is the kind of teacher I feel as if I can fail around and harvest growth from it.”
While he is moving on to a co-ed school, Mr. Hart remains a strong advocate for single-sex education. “Schools like Haverford give boys space to approach learning with camaraderie, to ask questions and not worry about social repercussions and spaces for guys to explore passions in ways they otherwise might not.”
When I first joined his Advisory, Mr. Hart offered me some advice: “Have boots on the ground at Haverford. Don’t wish away your time by focusing on what is coming after high school, engage and enjoy everything our school has to offer.”
It is exactly this type of guidance that reveals Mr. Hart’s lasting and honorable legacy at Haverford.
