Excellence by Every Measure

When their spring was affected by the global pandemic, for example, he wrote a personal letter to every member of the Class of 2020. Not ready for complete retirement just yet, Mike has been named a 2025 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, one of only 15 K-12 STEM educators from around the country awarded the honor, with sponsoring agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Defense, and Library of Congress. Knowing and loving his students—and knowing and loving his subject—are in Mike’s DNA.

Pushing our boys’ experience beyond campus, applying their learning from the classroom, and connecting to the Greater Cleveland community are priorities of the Strategic Plan. Mr. Matt McCarter, Hayden W. Thompson ’45 Chair in Faculty Leadership, is spearheading the effort with a robust capstone experience for our eighth-grade students at the Shaker Campus. The Class of 2029 took on the challenge of food insecurity in Northeast Ohio, considering the theme through social, economic, environmental, and governmental perspectives. Eighth graders learned from leading local organizations like the Cleveland Clinic, Cutler Center for Men, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and Heinen’s, and developed action plans. “The goal is to help them build a more complete understanding of how food insecurity affects individuals and communities, and what can be done about it,” Matt explains. “This is not a surface-level project. It’s about really digging in and trying to understand the bigger picture.” The Strategic Plan recommits to our mission, and initiatives like Matt’s make powerfully clear how cultivating “men of character who lead and serve” begins in our boys’ most formative years.

The support detailed in the pages of this Report makes everything we do at US possible, encourages us to set bold goals, and enables excellence. Ours is a competitive market. Boys and families can choose from a number of compelling educational options, and attracting and retaining the professionals to work with them each day has never been more important. Simply put, we seek the very best in every enrollment and every employment. We do not take this process for granted, nor do we take your support for US for granted. The growth of the endowment, the Annual Fund, and support from school stakeholders fuels the continued success of US. Your support makes our excellence possible. Recently, a prospective family joined us for a “Parent Preview” event on campus. Visitors experienced an all-school assembly, toured our facilities, and heard from a student panel. Afterwards, one parent explained that she was, in fact, a career educator; she had spent her life in schools. The day dazzled her. “This is what school is supposed to be,” she said. We believe that’s what excellence feels like—intentional, authentic, inspiring, and unmistakable.