The duties behind the Head of School position at Haverford are a mystery to many. Some might jump to the response, “He runs the school.”
But what does running the school actually mean?
Head of School Mr. Tyler Casertano has had extensive experience in the field of education.
“I loved teaching, coaching, and advising. When I was asked to do some admissions work, I really loved doing that. Then I was asked at my prior school [St. Albans School] to do some development work and I loved doing that. But I found that as I was introduced to all those areas of school life I wanted to do all of them. And that’s what a Head of School does. I get time with [students], I get time with faculty, I get time with parents, with prospective families, the Board of Trustees, and alumni.”
Spending time with as many people as possible is something that Mr. Casertano highlighted as one of his favorite things about his job. As the Head of School, most of his interactions are with the members of the leadership team.
“These eleven people lead every area of school life. A large part of my job is creating alignment with them, so that we as a school are all moving in the same direction. We have a common set of goals; we have an awareness of a culture we are trying to build.”
Mr. Casertano also emphasized that he spends a large portion of his time with the Board of Trustees. Mr. Casertano works with the twenty-five board members to set up a strategic plan and set of goals for the school.
Haverford creates a new “strategic plan” every five years. These strategic plans deal with how the school can improve. One recent priority has been improving and creating new cross-division interactions. Mr. Casertano is currently working with the Board of Trustees on an updated strategic plan, which will come into effect in 2025.
Through all of this work, one of Mr. Casertano’s largest objectives is to help Haverford achieve goals. He stated there are two different sets of goals that help the school: programmatic goals and goals of school identity.
Mr. Casertano’s main goal for the school program is unification through all aspects. Between academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities, he makes sure they all pick up on each other.
“Every step of the way you are being provided with the skills, habits, and dispositions that you need to find success at the next level,” Mr. Casertano said.
He makes sure that all goals and challenges reinforce each other to make us stronger as students, athletes, and men of character. Here these goals begin to enter the territory of identity. Much of Mr. Casertano’s work is geared toward helping Haverford as a school develop a certain identity. Not every all-boys school is the same, and Mr. Casertano works to set Haverford apart from the rest.
One of Mr. Casertano’s fundamental beliefs is that education is heavily dependent on relationships—with classmates, teachers, coaches, and even the Head of School himself. When he is not meeting with the leadership team, Mr. Casertano spends much of his time connecting with the Haverford community.
He makes it a priority to be at lower school drop-off at least once a week to greet students and parents in the morning. This allows him to create relationships that will hopefully last for a long time.
And of course, he prioritizes getting to know the student body. Mr. Casertano believes that every student at Haverford deserves to be celebrated at one point. This can take many different forms, whether it be a game-winning goal, an award, or a standing ovation after a Reflection. Mr. Casertano is often on the front lines congratulating someone after a triumph.
One recent Haverford graduate, Papi Harris ’23, said, “When Mr. Casertano referred to me as a ‘Haverford great,’ I felt complete. As if I have effectively influenced my peers in a positive way. The sacrifices I made were not futile but worthwhile. He always made me feel empowered.”
Dean of Students Mr. Luqman Kolade echoes a similar sentiment about the Head of School.
“I think it’s empowering to know that he cares about you,” Mr. Kolade said. “He listens to what you have to say, he asks questions.”
Despite all of the great relationships formed, there are some less glamorous parts of being the Head of School.
As the adolescent mental-health epidemic gets worse every year, Mr. Casertano works tirelessly to promote student well-being. He is a strong advocate of the “sound body, sound mind” philosophy. This means there is a connection between the state of your physical health and mental health. Mr. Casertano strives to prioritize his physical health. He creates time at least three times a week for some sort of exercise. Mr. Casertano’s go-to workout is a cardio-strength workout on The Mirror, a smart-mirror for your home, with thousands of online classes to follow along. Mr. Casertano also enjoys walks with his wife at Haverford College.
Mr. Casertano also understands that Haverford School athletic programs may be more intensive and demanding. To combat this, he works with Athletic Director Michael Murphy to set restrictions on the times practices end, and the amount of weekend commitments Haverford student-athletes are presented with.
