Masterman Welcomes Principal Laurie

A record player sits across from Principal Laurie's desk; a bag of vinyl LPs sits below. England did not experience the same rapid growth of CDs and decline of records that America saw, he explains. “They're all brilliant…” he says, going through the week’s collection. “Tom Waits, Kamaal Williams…this is Beach House’s ‘Space Song…’ this is the one I’ve been listening to today.” He holds up a Pete Jolly album. 

Masterman’s new principal remembers the moment he heard he had been chosen—he was “thrilled,” immediately thinking, “I can’t wait to get started!”

The school community received the news on August 10th via email from Associate Superintendent Tomas Hanna. Former principal Dr. Payne had announced her departure in the past spring, and a search for a replacement had been ongoing throughout summer. Principal Gordon Laurie himself only learned of his hiring on Friday, August 6th, just three weeks before school started on August 26th. 

Hailing from Cambridge, England, he came to the States and attended the University of the District of Columbia, where he earned a Bachelor's in English. “I was just a reader,” he explained. “English Language Arts…is the most human of the humanities in that we are exploring the human experience,” he added. 

While pursuing his higher education at George Mason and George Washington Universities, Principal Laurie eventually spent 15 years in the Arlington, VA public school district, teaching IB and AP English. “I realized pretty quickly that making good relationships with students allowed us to do great work together,” he said of his time teaching in the classroom. “It [does not] really matter how well your lessons were planned or how hard the tests were if your students don't trust you enough to take risks with you,” he stated. He aims to develop students beyond their education; school, he believes, is the place for them to grow as much emotionally and socially as academically. 

Principal Laurie soon assumed an administrative role, striving to take his experience from teaching and implement his knowledge and philosophies school-wide. In Virginia, he served as high-school assistant principal and middle-school principal; he most recently served for four years as principal at George Childs Elementary School in the School District of Philadelphia before accepting the Masterman position.

He brings his aspirations to Masterman, with a 100-day plan based on listening to community feedback to improve the school. Currently, the feedback he has received has emphasized transparency and communication. His own ideals center around openness; he does not want Masterman to be just “a kind of a box that kids go into and come out of.” 

Ultimately, Principal Laurie hopes to interact with and hear from the students themselves. “The student experience [is] the barometer by which we'll talk about [whether Masterman is] successful,” he told families at a meet-and-greet via Zoom in mid-August. “We [staff] work here, but it’s your school,” he wants students to remember. He hopes students will let him know what they think about Masterman; he relishes these student interactions. His dedication to student contact has been visible: for example, in the mornings, he greets students outside as they walk into the building (the “best part of my day is to be with students every morning welcoming them to school,” he remarked); he attended a girls’ volleyball game, saw the cross-country team running at practice, and plans to attend the schools’ concerts; at dismissal, he stands at the foot of the patio, chatting with Masterman parents.

After dismissal, Principal Laurie also engages in various hobbies. Beyond reading—his favorite books include As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness by Kenzaburō Ōe, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, and Shakespeare’s Othello and Hamlet—he has recently discovered a passion for gardening, now growing peppers, jalepeños, tomatoes, and this season, potatoes. He also enjoys music—he plays bass guitar in a band, Scantronic, has DJ’d in England, and cherishes his record collection. 

As his records spin in his office, he foresees Masterman adhering to high standards of academic excellence, serving as a model for schools across the country; yet beyond the rankings, he hopes students will be open about their school, grow academically and socially, and remember their Masterman time fondly. The principal is starting only his second month at 1699 Spring Garden Street, but he has certainly made one point clear: he wants students and their families to love the school as much as he does.