New Pinkerton Academy Headmaster Griffin Morse said he wants to be “a more visible and student-focused” headmaster, and as part of that focus, has decided to live on campus.
Griffin said where he has chosen to live and work reflects this philosophic approach.
According to Chip Underhill, executive director of Public Relations and External Affairs for Pinkerton, “Morse wants to fully immerse himself into his new Pinkerton community, and since he moved to Derry from Spain, he needed a place so he chose the Mackenzie House. The property was originally a residence but in more recent years it served other school- related purposes, so renovation is required to make it again suitable for a residence.”
Mackenzie House is across the street from the main campus. It is expected Morse and his family will be in residence by mid-September.
Underhill said that both Mary Anderson, who was Headmaster for 12 years before her retirement at the end of June, and Brad Ek, Anderson’s predecessor, who was the Headmaster for 23 years, did not live on campus.
“Anderson and Ek both lived in their own residences off campus, but Griffin’s move to the McKenzie House harkens back to the days of Ivah Hackler, Headmaster before Brad Ek,” said Underhill. “Hackler lived in that building when he ran the school.
“Likewise, Griffin is moving his office onto the main campus into the historic 1887 Pinkerton Building from the Stearns House, where Anderson had her office, to continue his immersion into his new Pinkerton community,” Underhill said.
Griffin’s decision to live on campus and move his office will bring him physically closer to the students he oversees. He expects the return of the headmaster residence to campus and the move of his office will help him to better implement his student-driven focus as he guides his student body into the school’s 21st Century curriculum.
