You're invited to Gesu’s 25^th Symposium on Education. This year’s topic is Surviving and Thriving: Supporting Our Teachers in These Challenging Times.

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, school life was growing ever more complex. Expectations kept rising, but budgets, staffing, and facilities didn’t. Then came a pandemic that upended everything in schools, followed by a racial reckoning and a toxic political controversy about schools. The result: unprecedented pressure on teachers and leaders, which has damaged morale and confidence and caused many to leave the field. How can educators respond constructively? How can they maintain their caring, energy, and competence? Gesu’s 25^th Symposium Keynote Speaker, Rob Evans, Ed.D., will outline practical ways to reduce stress and restore hope both individually and as a school community.

Join us for this motivational conversation with Q&A.

Wednesday, November 2         
5:00pm – 6:30pm ET
Virtual Format with Question & Answer
Free of Charge

Click here to register via Zoom.

View the program book.

Thank You to Our 2022 Gesu Symposium Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor
James & Agnes Kim Foundation
Maguire Foundation 

Salutatorian Sponsor
Milton Hershey School

Friend
Academy of Notre Dame de Namur
Community Partnership School
The Episcopal Academy 
Friends Select School 
Malvern Preparatory School 
Merion Mercy Academy 
Walsh Jesuit  High School 

Robert Evans, Ed.D.
Keynote Speaker 

Rob Evans is a psychologist and school consultant. A former high school and pre-school teacher, and a longtime child and family therapist, he served for many years as the Executive Director of The Human Relations Service, a non-profit children's mental health clinic outside Boston. He has consulted to more than 1,700 schools in the U.S. and internationally, working with teachers, leaders, and boards. His principal interests are in the problems of leading change in schools, in crisis intervention, and in helping improve collegiality and candor among educators. His presentations are known for their lively wit and plain talk. He is the author of many articles and three books, including The Human Side of School Change and Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader. His most recent book, co-authored with Michael Thompson, is Hopes and Fears: Working with Today’s Independent School Parents.

Michael Gary, Ed.M.
Moderator 

Michael Gary has served as head of Friends Select School since 2016. Prior to this appointment, he served as director of admissions at Phillips Exeter Academy from 2002 to 2016. Before joining Exeter, Michael served for six years as director of admissions and financial aid at The Peddie School, where he also taught economics. He also served as associate director of admissions and director of multicultural affairs at Pomfret School. Before starting his independent school career, Michael spent three years in the marketing department of Aetna Life and Casualty and as an account executive at KGA Advertising Agency. He received a BA from Trinity College in Connecticut and a Master of Education from Harvard University.

Michael is currently a faculty member at the NAIS Institute for New Heads, serves on the boards of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools, Parkway Council, Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Independent Trust, Reading Allowed, and Trinity College. He is a faculty member at the National Association of Independent Schools Institute for New Heads. He is also the president and founder of Inner City Lacrosse and former board member of Pomfret School, the Association of Boarding Schools, and The Enrollment Management Association.

Gesu looks forward to having you as part of the conversation! Learn about past symposia.