Planning and coordinating programs at a school like Bolles, which has many campuses and educates kids from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade can be complex. The Associate Head of School, Mr. Andrew Forrester, assumed this role 2 years ago after moving from Sarasota, where he lived for 20 years. The weight of Bolles’s future rests on Forrester’s shoulders.
Forrester’s responsibilities are across all campuses. He has to work with the staff of the lower, middle, and upper schools to make sure that everyone is successful.
“I work primarily with teachers and then with students to make sure that everybody’s having the best experience possible,” said Forrester.
When Forrester first joined Bolles, his major focus was planning, working with the faculty, and learning details about the school to assist in leading the direction of the school. A big goal that Forrester has is to plan strategically and learn more about working more with his colleagues at school, offering the most support possible.
The future of Bolles has been a topic of deep thought for Forrester. He stated that he is trying to figure out how to ensure that Bolles can provide students with the skills, the rich content, and the conversations for them to be ready to attend college.
In order to help Bolles advance, Bolles’ administration talks to other schools to give and receive advice, to ensure that each school can learn from the others to be the best. “We get on calls with associate heads of schools across the state of Florida. They are schools that are similar to ours, and we talk about what we are doing in education, and make sure that we are thinking through with each other,” said Forrester.
Forrester has been inspired by various people around the school. “We have had some amazing ideas from faculty members, from different students, and from different community members,” he said.
For instance, the engineering class at Bolles has recently opened up to ninth graders, and there are plans to expand the STEM classes further.
Forrester has plans to expand the foreign language department to include students from all grade levels. “We are expanding our specialization down into the middle school, so some of them will be embarking on a pilot program of a year-round language class in 6th grade, which will allow them to advance through their language study.”
Forrester has advice to students as they prepare for adulthood in the near future and are closer to facing a challenging world. He recommends trying out different things, such as different sports or activities. Forrester also suggests joining different clubs and activities with friends that students have never been in before to widen your social circle. “ He reminds students that preparation is important and using the faculty around to help can be very useful. “Remember, there are so many adults here who are dedicated to your success that you should never, ever feel like you cannot come and talk to anybody if you have a question in mind.”
Outside of school, Forrester enjoys lots of fun things, especially the outdoors. He loves camping and the beach. He has five children, and he tries to work out whenever he can to be physically and mentally ready at the same time. He is excited to see what the future holds at Bolles.
