Bolles President and Head of School Dave Farace will leave Bolles’ top administrative post to accept the head of school position at his alma mater, Baltimore-based McDonogh School. Farace plans to remain in his role at Bolles through at least the end of the 2017-18 school year.
“I love everything about Bolles, particularly the people – the board of trustees is vision- and mission-driven; the faculty and staff serve children with an abundance of love and compassion; our parents and alumni are proud ambassadors of the school; and the students are a tremendous source of joy for me,” Farace said in a letter to the Bolles community Jan. 11. “I have a deeply rooted personal connection to McDonogh and the city of Baltimore – McDonogh is, simply put, home.”
Farace and his wife Becky are both from Baltimore and have family in the area. Farace’s first independent school experience was at McDonogh. He attended McDonogh for six years as a financial aid student, taught and coached there and was an administrator at the school. The Faraces developed deep connections to McDonogh as they were married in the school’s chapel and raised their young family on the McDonogh campus. Farace spent more than 12 years at McDonogh in various roles prior to taking top independent school leadership positions at The Montgomery Academy in Alabama and at The Bolles School.
The Bolles School Board of Trustees named Farace the school’s eighth head of school in October 2014. During Farace’s tenure at Bolles, the school has achieved many successes such as the development and implementation of a strategic plan and the creation of a new campus master plan — including a new multipurpose gym on the Ponte Vedra Beach Campus, a new Treehouse Outdoor Learning Center on the Whitehurst Campus and the new Tarver Hall science building on the Bartram Campus. Farace also implemented a new rotating schedule and enhanced Bolles’ learning support services.
Chairman of the Bolles Board of Trustees Daniel Rice said the board has not yet determined Farace’s last day at Bolles, but said he expects Farace to remain in his role through the end of this school year. Rice said the board will begin the process to select a new head of school in the coming weeks.
“We wish Dave nothing but the best at McDonogh,” Rice said. “I want to thank him for his leadership, energy and passion, which has been unwavering during his time here. Dave has embraced our community and reinvigorated the many character traits that have always made Bolles a special place in our hearts.”
