Pacific Hills Appoints Peter Temes As Head Of School

April 15, 2010 - PRLog -- West Hollywood, CA
Contact:  Ann Wagner     (310) 276-3068 x 113   awagner@phschool.org

EDITOR’S NOTE: A photo of Mr. Temes is available on request.

Pacific Hills School has announced the appointment of Peter Temes as the new Head of School, effective July 1, 2010. He will succeed Rich Makoff, the founder of the school, who is retiring after leading Pacific Hills since 1982. Peter Temes will be available to meet prospective students and their parents at an open house at the school on Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

A nationally-known educator, Temes brings vast teaching, administrative and fundraising experience to Pacific Hills. He has been a full-time faculty member at Harvard University, president of the Great Books Foundation and president of the Antioch New England Graduate School. He has also been a strategy consultant for technology and finance companies and is founder and president of the Institute for Innovation in Large Organizations (ILO), which focuses on innovation for corporations and non-profits, including K-12 education.

In the last ten years Temes’ primary focus has been on a nationally-acclaimed summer residential program for grades 6-12 at Amherst College and Stanford University. This Great Books Summer Program serves more than 600 middle school and high school students a year. It places special emphasis on bringing low income students to these celebrated colleges early in their school careers to expose them to higher education and to inspire them to achieve ambitious educational goals.  Mr. Temes says, “From the beginning of my career, my highest personal commitment has been K-12 education with an emphasis on inclusion and social justice.”

Temes’ articles on education have appeared in The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Education Week and other publications. He has written five books, including “Against School Reform and In Praise of Great Teaching” and “One School Now: Real Life at Lynn English High School.”

Temes graduated from State University of New York at Binghamton with a double degree in philosophy and rhetoric. He earned three master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in American literature at Columbia University, writing his dissertation about the rhetorical strategies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement.

“What made me fall in love with Pacific Hills,” says Temes, “is the blend of top-notch academics with the kind of personal attention that most schools just can’t deliver. We’re going to build on the remarkable things that Pacific Hills has done for twenty-eight years to give every student the tools and the motivation he or she needs to achieve his or her personal best. We already have faculty members from Columbia and Princeton Universities planning to work with us on student projects and faculty development. We’ll devote more time to one-on-one work with students, and we’ll find more ways to make Pacific Hills a center for learning and culture in Los Angeles.”

Temes was selected after an extensive nationwide search by a committee consisting of members of the board of trustees and parent and faculty representatives. Helene Ross, chair of the school’s board of trustees, says “We are thrilled to welcome Peter Temes to Pacific Hills. Everyone who has worked with him praises his intelligence, character, compassion, energy, and his willingness to listen and collaborate. His colleagues describe him as a visionary. His proven educational leadership will inspire our students and faculty and continue Rich Makoff’s outstanding legacy. His fundraising ability and success in building enrollment will help us grow and take Pacific Hills to a new level.”

Pacific Hills has a limited number of openings for enrollment in Fall 2010. To make a reservation for the open house, or for more information about Pacific Hills, please call (310) 276-3068, and ask for Lynne Bradshaw.

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ABOUT PACIFIC HILLS
Pacific Hills School is a WASC and CAIS accredited 6th – 12th grade independent, co-educational, college preparatory middle and high school in its 28th year. Located in the heart of West Hollywood, California, Pacific Hills School educates approximately 250 students each year. Offering a challenging college preparatory program in a warm and supportive environment, Pacific Hills has recently been designated a Promise Place by America’s Promise Alliance (APA), an organization founded by former Secretary of State Colin Powell and his wife, Alma J. Powell. APA recognizes organizations that prepare young people for success in school and in life. Pacific Hills is the only school in the state of California to receive this honor. Virtually all Pacific Hills graduates continue their education at a variety of top institutions, including the Ivy League, the University of California and California State University. More information is available at www.phschool.org.