IDS Announces New Assistant Head of School

The Independent Day School is pleased to announce Mr. David Sizemore as its new Assistant Head of School!

Sizemore brings many years of experience in education administration and a love of teaching history to IDS. He most recently served as the Principal of St. Joseph School in North Grosvenordale, CT and prior to that served as an Academic Dean for 11 years at Xavier High School in Middletown, and three years as Director of Admissions and Director of Student Activities at Carmel Catholic High School in Illinois. 

David has taught middle school and high school Social Studies for Old Saybrook Public Schools, Groton Public Schools, and at Xavier. A graduate of Drew University, David earned his MS in Social Studies Education and a 6th Year Certificate in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University. 

 

David has served on a number of education-related boards of trustees including Our Lady of Mercy School (Madison), Xavier Alumni Board of Directors, and The Connecticut Council of Social Studies. He served on the IDS Board of Trustees from 2014-2017 and co-led the development of IDS’ Strategic Plan during that time.

Get to know the newest member of our administrative team!

I was very interested in the position of Assistant Head of School for several reasons.  First, having been a member of the Board of Trustees from 2014-17, I knew first-hand just how special IDS is as a school community.  Second, having served as the Principal of St. Joseph School in North Grosvenordale, CT from 2018-2020, a Pre-K through Grade 8 school, I wanted to work in a school setting that educated children from age three all the way to the early teen years.  Being able to witness and be a part of extraordinary "teachable moments" across ten different grade levels on a daily basis was magical.  Third, having been both a teacher and administrator at Xavier High School for the majority of my career, I have been the beneficiary of working with many IDS graduates and know just how well prepared they all have been for the rigors of a high school education--there's no question that the partnership between faculty, staff, and parents at IDS made that possible numerous times over.  Lastly, since I reside in Cromwell, CT, having a twenty minute commute will be a nice change from my most recent commute of seventy-five minutes; always nice to be closer to home!

For me, fearless learning means that students have the ability to become risk-takers and will grow as young people, not just from their successes in the classroom and in extra-curriculars, but also through times when they do not get it right the first time.  Whether you think of a famous inventor, politician, or an athlete, in all of these cases, one learns from loss or failure and not getting it right, the first time, the second time, or even the third time.  I think a great example of being "Fearless" can be found in David McCullough's book on "The Wright Brothers."  How many attempts did Orville and Wilbur Wright make to be first in flight, only to go back to the drawing board?  That is the type of resilience that I hope we, as the adult members of the IDS community, can foster in the students entrusted to our collective care.

One of my favorite memories as an educator dates all the way back to my first year as a Social Studies teacher during the 1992-93 academic year at Fitch High School in Groton, CT.  In the spring of 1993, I prepared my senior Sociology class for a debate on whether or not the Groton Sub Base should be closed to save the federal government money.  As luck would have it, a CNN film crew led by television journalist Frank Sesno was actually at Fitch High School the very same day my class was having the debate.  Fortunately, the film crew got word of the debate and they filmed my students in action for a story that came out at the end of the school year called "CNN Presents: From Swords to Ploughshares" which examined how defense-based communities in the United States as well as in Russia were adjusting to the new economic realities of the Post-Cold War era.  While I was thrilled to be part of this unique experience, what I remember most was how on point the students were during the debate, especially as the film crew did close ups not even a foot away from them.  As the old saying goes, they were "in the zone" the whole time and I was so proud to be their teacher!

I have been happily married to my wife Nada for almost thirty years and we will mark our 30th anniversary in July.  We have had numerous cats since the beginning of our relationship, with our latest editions being Sydney, a Dilute Calico tabby who is 16 years old as well as Lincoln, a Norwegian Forest cat, who is 14 years old.  I love running, which I have been able to get back to on a more regular basis during the start of the pandemic.  I have participated in numerous road races over the years including two marathons: Milwaukee in 2005 and the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota in 2006.  Most recently, I completed the Hartford 1/2 marathon this past October down on the Madison shore roads as it was not held in Hartford due to Covid.  I love all types of music with the Canadian progressive rock band "Rush" as my all-time favorite group--I was fortunate enough to see them in concert on twenty-four different occasions from 1982 until their final tour in 2015.  Finally, both Mrs. Sizemore and I are big fans of the Chicago Cubs, through both the lean years as well as their recent successes, especially when they won the World Series in 2016.  We actually were at Wrigley for Opening Night in 2017 when they raised the World Series banner--it was an electric atmosphere that evening at the Friendly Confines!