Barbara J. Brown named as next head of The Marin School

The Marin School's Board of Trustees recently announced that is has hired veteran administrator Barbara J. Brown to become the school's next Head of School. She replaces Peter T. Esty, who stepped in as the interim Head of School during the search process.

Brown brings more than 30 years of academic leadership and teaching experience to TMS. She was the founding Head of School at The Oakwood School, a K-12, college-preparatory independent school in Greenville, North Carolina. Brown also served as Head of School at Oak Hill School in Eugene, Oregon, another K-12 college-preparatory school. In addition, she has worked at Menlo School in Atherton, Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park, and Santa Catalina School in Monterey.

"Barbara's winning track record in building, growing, developing, and strengthening the schools under her leadership, her passion for education and her commitment to innovative, hands-on learning made her the ideal choice to lead our school as we strive to offer Bay Area families and their children the best independent school education available," said Ted West, Chair of the Board of Trustees. "Our entire community is thrilled to welcome her."

Brown earned her BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara; MA in Education from Stanford University School of Education; and a Doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has received two awards for Outstanding Teaching for her innovative techniques in the classroom. At both Stanford and Harvard she served as class marshal during commencement, and was also the commencement speaker at Harvard. She was honored this year to be asked to join the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Alumni Council, representing the West Coast.

"From the moment I set foot on the campus, I fell in love with the atmosphere because I could sense that students were allowed to be individuals," stated Brown. "There is a strong sense of community, collaboration and creativity among the TMS community. I am extremely excited about my appointment as Head of School at TMS."

TMS Jazz Band Plays Duke Ellington

The Marin School Jazz Band plays Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing" at the Annual Spring Concert held on May 26, 2011.

TMS Alumni in the News!

Jill Bischoff, TMS class of '04 (pictured on the left), is a counselor at Santa Susana High School in Simi Valley, Ms Ventura County 2009 and now a member of the Sugartown Rollergirls, a roller derby team based in Oxnard, CA.

Read the full article here

TMS Jazz Band Spring Concert - May 2011

The Marin School Jazz Band Spring Concert was held May 26, 2011 to a standing room only crowd. One of the featured songs was "Cliffs of Dover" written by Eric Johnson. This version features Gabe Jackman on Guitar along with Justin Herbert, Guitar; Sam Klitsner, Bass; John Alba, Trumpet; Annarose Leff, Flute; Bryan Nickerson, Saxophone/Clarinet; Jacob Solomon, Drums; and Luca Tedesco on Piano. The Jazz Band is led by Jimmy Sage. A CD of the concert will be available soon. For more information contact ehawley@themarinschool.org

The Marin School Annual Festival of the Arts was enjoyed by all!

The TMS community gathered at the school on May 26th for the Annual Festival of the Arts. On display were the students' work; ranging from clothing design, art, photography and film. The evening ended with the TMS Jazz Band concert - standing room only!

See more photos here

Interview with Mojo Nixon

Students in Matt O'Donnell's History of Rock 'n Roll class along with several members of the faculty participated in an interview with musician/actor/DJ Mojo Nixon via Skype today. You can watch the very funny and entertaining interview below.

MOJO NIXON Interview from The Marin School on Vimeo.

The Marin School Students Win Honors at the Annual Marin High School Art Show

The 20th Annual Marin High School Art show, "Rising Stars", held May 8 - May 28, 2011 at the Marin Art & Garden Center Gallery in Ross, featured art work from 14 high schools, public and private, throughout the county.

Eleven works of art and photography created by TMS students were exhibited. Two TMS 11th grade students, Abby Smith ( 2nd photo from left) and Mandy Linares (1st photo from left), received Honorable Mention for their work.