Tim Cottrell, Ph.D., head of The Harley School, has announced he will be leaving the school at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. Cottrell has accepted the position of head of school at ‘Iolani School, an independent K-12 school in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he will begin July 1.

Harley has appointed Valerie Myntti, current director of admissions, as interim head of school for one year beginning July 1. Myntti is a current administrator and former trustee, Lower School faculty member, Harley parent, Parent Council Chair, and Parent Council Room Rep. She has BS and MS degrees from the University of Utah, and a JD from Rutgers University, following which she practiced law prior to moving to Rochester in the early 1990s.

“We are thankful for the position Dr. Cottrell has helped the school achieve in the Rochester community,” says Harley Board of Trustees President and alumnus of the school, Peter Willsea. We wish him and his family well as he pursues this amazing opportunity. We are excited about where The Harley School is today and the foundation that has been laid for the future. We look forward to building upon our success.”

Cottrell has been a visionary leader for The Harley School since he took over as head of school in 2006. Under his direction, Harley has advanced in every area of academic and community life. The school today has undergone growth and expansion, as well as achieved financial stability and increased opportunities for student involvement and program development. The School’s commitment to financial aid has also more than doubled during this period making a Harley education more accessible than ever.

During his tenure the school experienced record enrollment, with 526 students currently in attendance. Students also have exhibited the strongest academic performance in the school’s history, including the highest SATs scores among private schools in the Rochester region, as well as college matriculations to Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Dartmouth, Pomona, Rhode Island School of Design and Yale.

Cottrell leaves an impressive list of accomplishments, including securing a prestigious E.E. Ford Foundation grant to establish a Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education, partnerships with the University of Rochester and RIT, and the formation of the Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association to expand the Harley Horizons program through local colleges and universities.

Cottrell has fostered financial stability for the School, including the establishment of The Harley Circle, an annual giving campaign, as well as accepting a $1 million gift to build Chesonis Commons on the Harley campus. 

When Cottrell began six years ago, he worked with students to improve environmental sustainability efforts at the School, including the conversion of a 1982 diesel Mercedes to run on vegetable oil. Today, the school embraces environmental sustainability as part of daily life through its campus Micro-Farm, local food sourcing, recycling and composting efforts, rainwater collection and reuse, the planting of raised gardens in Rochester’s urban schools, and student-led conferences and organized discussions surrounding “green” initiatives, and renovations and improvements to reduce the school’s energy usage.

Harley’s food program won a Best Practices in the State of New York Award in the area of healthy choices and nutritional education in 2009. The School won a 2009 Environmental Leadership Award in Resource Reduction from the Rochester Business Journal and in 2010, The Harley School was recognized with the Brighton Chamber of Commerce Green Business Award.

Given the School’s nearly 100 year history, growth and stability, it is well-positioned to move forward with a search for a new head, while continuing with optimism to provide the strongest academic and creative education for children in Rochester.

“I have greatly enjoyed my time at The Harley School and the growth we have experienced together over the past six years,” says Cottrell. “Leading the school’s remarkable faculty has been an honor with great professional reward and the education my children have received at the school has been a tremendous gift to my family. Multiple programs of the school have risen to national prominence and Harley is poised to achieve even greater opportunities for its students with the building of Chesonis Commons. Harley’s position as a leading independent school in the nation is a true benefit to the Rochester community and I know that the future holds nothing but great possibility and promise for the school,” he says.

Founded in 1917, The Harley School is an independent school in Rochester, NY offering a college preparatory program for students in Nursery through Grade 12. Harley’s rigorous academic programs and exceptional fine arts curriculum are coupled with unique offerings—including a hospice elective, glass making, boat building, organic farming, and international service learning. Harley is dedicated to community service, the creative process, and a nurturing environment for students. The school is committed to diversity and the education of students for global citizenship.

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