Middle School News and Director Search

September, 2024

As the Jackson Hole Community School enters its 20th year, I could not be more excited for its future. For two decades, JHCS has thrived as an institution where students experience a challenging academic program in a supportive environment, and where education, community, and integrity are equally valued. Those values resonate as much today as they did when our founders Kathleen Crowley and Scott Hirschfield first began their conversations about creating an educational pathway for high schoolers that would stand apart in Jackson Hole. In those two decades, the school has seen tremendous growth: in fall 2024, we opened the academic year with 115 students, our highest enrollment ever. As we look to our third decade, our greater JHCS community remains deeply committed to an outstanding high school experience for Jackson teenagers for generations to come. 

 

Since I first set foot on campus nearly two years ago, I have been confident that the JHCS mission would translate well for middle school students. While some approaches would differ, “challenging academics,” “personal relationships,” “initiative,” and “integrity” are as important for early teenage learners as they are for young adults on the verge of leaving for college. In that spirit and with my full support, I am pleased to share that the Board of Directors voted in August, 2024 to add grades 6-8 to JHCS beginning in the fall of 2026. 

Over the past 18 months, the Board and I have been exploring the opportunities a middle school would bring not only for JHCS but also for our community at large. Our Board convened an ad-hoc committee, which has had meetings with current and prospective parents, JHCS teachers and administrators, and other community members, to determine the most advantageous path forward. Coupled with conversations with colleagues both regionally and nationwide, these focus groups gained insight on the community’s needs, the financial benefits for the high school, and our goals for a middle school curriculum. At the core of each conversation was the imperative that any additional program must expand the resources for our exceptional high school. 

 

Importantly, a group of dedicated parents stepped up to commit both the initial capital necessary to establish a middle school and their support in identifying a physical home for new JHCS middle school students. This same group also committed significant resources to advance the high school’s ongoing success and to ensure its long-term financial stability, including the creation of a fund that will support staff housing needs in both the short and long terms.

 

We have an energetic team that has started the process for opening this next chapter in our school's history. I will provide updates and hold information sessions in the months to come to keep our community abreast of our progress with the middle school expansion, including potential spaces for the campus, the process for hiring a Middle School Director, and the positive gains we will see in the high school. Please visit the Career Opportunities page on our website for the job announcement for the Founding Middle School Director.

 

The Board members and I are enthusiastic about and confident in this path forward for JHCS. While our team forges ahead with plans for welcoming middle school students and faculty in fall 2026, our primary focus will remain on our current students and ensuring that our high school continues to flourish. Throughout this expansion over the next two years, we welcome your input on creating an impactful program for middle school students—one that will provide a fluid transition to high school and mirror the superb experience that our students have benefited from for the past 20 years. 

Thank you for your support as we embark on this exciting journey,

Ted Smith

Head of School