NOWBOARDING EAST COAST
Give your new hires a confident start.
Now Boarding prepares employees who are new to boarding schools with the tools, mindset, and support they need to succeed from day one.
This is more than orientation. It’s an immersive onboarding experience that helps staff understand the unique challenges of residential life. Through training, case studies, and expert-led discussions, participants learn how to navigate student safety, set clear boundaries, support wellness, and build a strong sense of belonging.
Whether you’re onboarding teachers, dorm staff, or support personnel, this institute ensures your team arrives prepared and aligned.
Participants will explore:
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- How to embrace and represent your school’s culture and traditions
- The responsibilities of “In Loco Parentis” in everyday situations
- Mental health awareness and personal boundaries
- Building safe, inclusive, and connected dorm communities
- Responding to difficult conversations with professionalism
- Real-world strategies for daily dorm life and operations
Set your new hires up for success with the confidence to lead and support your students from day one.
When
July 21–22, 2025
where
Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, CT
who
Any employee or volunteer new to the boarding school environment
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand why families choose boarding schools and what motivates professionals to build their careers in this environment.
Clarify your role under “in loco parentis” and learn how to support students with care, accountability, and confidence.
Learn how to quickly adapt to your new school’s culture and become an active, trusted member of the community.
Gain practical tools to support students’ mental, emotional, and social well-being in a residential setting.
Know what to look for and how to respond when student safety or misconduct is a concern.
Build strategies that promote equity, justice, and belonging in your dorm or program.
Walk away with real-world advice from peers who recently made the same transition and a plan to thrive in your first year.
Collaborate and problem-solve with a cohort of professionals from across the boarding school landscape.
2025 FACULTY
DR. JAMES GREENWOOD
Dean of Equity and Social Justice, Northfield Mount Hermon School, MA
Dr. Greenwood brings with him a deep and rich history working in independent schools. This year marks his 21st year in independent schools, with 18 of those being in boarding schools. He currently serves as the Dean of Equity and Social Justice at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, MA. In addition to his work leading DEI initiatives over the year, he has also taught history, served as a dorm head and residential life dean, and worked in admissions at various boarding schools including St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, MA; and Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA. Born and raised in Cleveland, Dr. Greenwood graduated from Kenyon College with a BA in American Studies with a concentration in African and African American Studies. He holds a Master of Arts in teaching from Brown University and a Masters of Education from Columbia University; and earned his Doctorate in Education from Boston College where his dissertation studied how teachers develop their culturally responsive practice.
KATE DANIELS
Dean of Student Support, St. Paul's School NH
For the past sixteen years, Kate Daniels has lived and worked at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH where she currently serves as the Dean of Student Support. Prior to coming to SPS, Kate worked as a Spanish teacher and special educator in the public school system. In addition to her work supporting students, she has served as the head of a boys dorm, coached the girls cross country team, and advised the Mindfulness Club, the Yoga Club, and the Knitting Club. In 2021, Kate was named the inaugural Kiril Sokoloff ’65 Chair for Compassion and used that opportunity to develop a kindness curriculum for the SPS residential life program. The small village of Monument Beach in the town of Bourne on Cape Cod is where Kate was raised and lives when school is not in session. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a Master of Education in Special Education.
GENE PHILLIPS
Director of Residential Life, St. Stephen's School, TX
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Gene Phillips holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Sociology and a Master of Arts in Human Service Administration from St. Edwards University.
Gene has been a dedicated faculty member and administrator at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, for 32 years, serving in various roles, including Dean of Students, Director of Student Activities, Teacher, and Coach. Since 2000, he has led the school’s Residential Department, overseeing the boarding program and fostering a vibrant and supportive community.
Beyond St. Stephen’s, Gene served for over a decade as Headmaster and Housing Director at Youth Opportunities Unlimited at the University of Texas at Austin, furthering his commitment to student development.
An active leader in the boarding school community, Gene is the lead advisor for the TABS Foundation and Care Certification Program. His dedication to student and residential life was recognized in 2023 when he received the TABS Burch Ford Kaleidoscope Award for Excellence in Student and Residential Life.”
Learning Courage is a nonprofit membership organization that works with K12 independent schools to reduce incidents, improve responses and support healing from sexual misconduct and abuse by guiding and advising on best practices, tools and resources.
Founded by survivors, Learning Courage understands both the institutional challenges and the importance of keeping survivors at the center of the process, whether the misconduct occurred recently or in the past.
