Senior Exit Interview | Percy L. Abram

At the start of every academic year, each Twelfth Grade student at The Bush School is invited to  participate in a Senior Exit Interview with Head of School Percy L. Abram. All seniors are invited  to meet with Dr. Abram during their lunch, and he asks them a series of questions about their  experience at Bush. Dr. Abram explained the number of students who participate has varied each year, but consistently there’s been a genuine tone of gratitude for Bush. Dr. Abram said both of his  children, Carlos ’24 and Claudia ’21, did interviews with him.  

 

“I asked [Carlos] at the end of his interview, ‘Is there anything else you want me to know about Bush?’  He was very kind in assessment: ‘You did a great job,’” Dr. Abram recalled. 

 

In closing out his “senior year,” we thought it was only fitting to turn the tables and ask Dr. Abram  the same questions he’s used over the years with over 500 Twelfth Grade students. 

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I’ve been at Bush for eleven years. I have two  siblings, neither of whom went to the school.  When I’m not at Bush I like to run, cook, read,  and listen to music—and I am an avid sports  fan. 

 

I chose Bush because it was a school where the  students were as eager, inquisitive, thoughtful,  and kind when they graduated as when they  first entered school, and that’s rare. I have  encountered deeply invested and caring faculty  that were creative and toggled between taking  the best of Bush and improving upon it and  recognizing and honoring its rich history. 

 

What were your general impressions of  the school before you came here? The kids were kind and polite, eager to invest  in their experience here at school. From the  beginning of my tenure I did not sense that the  end game was college—but that the end game was  being the best version of yourself you could be. 

 

I would say overall, incredible. I hope that it is the same for incoming Head of School Sarah Smith and that the community has an opportunity to celebrate her and her  leadership.Transitions and change can be hard. This is a really difficult job. We are grateful to  have her in that role and to know that she selected  this Head of School role at Bush as much as they selected her. She could have infinite options, and I hope people realize this.

 

I’m going to be the Head of School at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California—a Ninth through  Twelfth Grade school of about 330 kids. There are  so many aspects of life at Sonoma Academy that  remind me of Bush. The kids are incredible; there’s  a deep commitment to sustainability and the  environment and an appetite for more meaningful  community engagement work. 

Curious, engaged, and always wanting the best for The Bush School.  

The relationships. From sitting in a room in 2018  with [Upper School counselor] John Ganz and  hearing him talk through how we’re going to deal  with Toby [Faber]’s death to being able to walk into  [the classrooms] and be amazed by the incredible Lower School faculty we have. To see the same zeal and energy from Middle School English teacher  Laurie Mathews as she plans for her last E-week  as she did for the first E-week when I was here,  o Cecile Meister’s dissections, and Gardiner  [Vinnedge]’s ability to weave stories and history  together. I will miss that. I will miss the spirit of adventure and that anything is possible. And that  even at 101 years old, the school can continue to  grow and improve. 

It has fulfilled and exceeded every expectation I  had when I arrived in 2014. My transition had some  bumpy parts, and there was some concern that I was trying to fundamentally change who Bush was.  I wish I would have been afforded a little bit more  grace when I was coming in.  

That the Middle School and Center Campus building was already built.  

Authentic learning experiences: Upper School Cascades, E-week, prioritizing learning outside  of the classroom, including place-based learning  (such as at the Methow Campus). The willingness  of faculty to go above and beyond and meet  students where they are—academically, socially,  and emotionally.  

What do you want your legacy to be? 
So, the way I ask that question is, let’s say you  come back here in five years, and you saw one of  your teachers and your teacher said, “There’s X. I  remember him; he was so (blank).” How would you  like to be remembered? That forms a legacy, it’s how you showed up at school.  

I want to be remembered as someone who gave  every ounce of his being to understanding the  community, to nurturing its potential, to helping  it become the fullest and best expression of itself. And that I was able to bring others along with me. 

I would tell Sarah to take some time to get to know  the school as the Head of School. Spend as much  time in classrooms listening as you can. Make sure you prioritize emergencies over urgencies, and let  people see your full self. 

I have lots of regrets; that’s how I process. I regret not being as communicative all the time. I regret  spending as much time as I did in my office. I regret  going on only one senior retreat. Lastly, I regret  that I don’t have more time at Bush. It has provided so many meaningful experiences, connected me  with such smart and interesting people, laughter,  and allowed me to grow and learn in a peerless  educational environment. If only I could have been  a Lifer.