The school cafeteria was open on Tuesday evening as the inaugural middle school faculty and staff gathered for their first-ever Meet & Greet event. Many current faculty members came to celebrate with the new middle school staff for a new chapter in school history, the launch of the school’s first-ever middle school.
“This is definitely a milestone to see our teaching staff here,” Dean of the Middle School Joe Kilmade said. “This is the start of something great.”
The evening included dinner, some time to mingle, a quick tour of the ongoing construction of the middle school spaces, and a short presentation from Mr. Kilmade to show his appreciation for the new staff and some interesting logistics from the hiring process.
The 16 new middle school staff members come from 16 different schools, so this event gave the new staff a chance to meet their new colleagues.
The hiring process included over 120 applications submitted to fill 16 positions, which called for over 50 interviews to be completed in only a month and a half.
“They are here because they have demonstrated excellence,” Mr. Kilmade said. “We are so excited to build this team around all of them.”
Among the new faculty members is a very familiar face. English teacher Henry Samson is transitioning from high school to middle school.
“The opportunity to be a part of something new that I think is really cool and appealing is very exciting,” Mr. Samson said. “There are some nerves, as with anything, but also an overwhelming energy and enthusiasm for doing this work.”
Another new teacher has some previous ties to DeSmet. Andrew Ficken ‘18 is a DeSmet alumnus and will be teaching theology in the middle school.
“It is great to be back here,” Ficken said. “I have nothing but positive memories of my time here, so I’m really excited to teach here.”
Also shown were the logistics of the admissions process. A total of 122 boys are signed up for next year and there are still more to come. They are coming from over 50 different schools in the St. Louis area. Many have older brothers here or fathers who went here.
“We get to look at the history of this place and put it into action to build this community,” Mr. Kilmade said. “I am so grateful to share this opportunity with everyone.”
