By: Riley Domingue, '24
The headmaster of Holy Cross is one of, if not the most important role of the entire school. When transitioning to a new head of school, the most important thing is to instill hope and gain respect. During this transition, I wanted to know from members of the HC family what qualities they wish to see in a headmaster, one of those members being the interim headmaster himself, Mr. Eric DesOrmeaux, ‘92. Stepping up as the school’s 16th headmaster, he hopes to see great things this year while also staying true to the Holy Cross mission.
There were a handful of faculties I interviewed regarding the qualities of a headmaster. 9th and 10th grade guidance counselor Ms. Parenti says a headmaster should be “someone who demands and gives respect” adding that he should also have, “education and experience, as well as people skills.” Senior Counselor, Dr. Wegmann had some great qualities to add commenting, “transparency, integrity, consistency, and flexibility.” A headmaster should embody these qualities to be both approachable and respected by students and employees.
Though the headmaster position is no easy feat for anyone to take on, it seems Mr. DesOrmeaux exemplifies many of these qualities already making this interim role a nice fit. During the conversation I had with him about the attributes of the role, he said he believes the Holy Cross Headmaster must “take all the obstacles out of the way for your students to become Holy Cross men. Vision what the school has to be in 10 years. And, finally, sacrifice who you are to be who you want to be.” We wish Mr. DesOrmeaux a successful school year and we look forward to seeing what bright future these attributes will build.