Despite having little experience in college admissions, former middle school dean Jon Wimbish said he was excited to tackle that part of his new job as the ninth upper school dean. Wimbish replaced Sharon Cuseo after she stepped down to take care of her infant twins. Cuseo will continue to work part-time in admissions.

Wimbish spent his first three years as a full-time teacher at the Middle School and the last six years as a middle school dean. This will be his 10th year at the school and first at the Upper School. Before coming to the Middle School, Wimbish taught for a year at an all-boys boarding school in New Hampshire.

Wimbish will only be a dean for sophomores and juniors due to his lack of familiarity with college admissions. Seniors under Cuseo were divided among the other deans and will remain with those groups.

 “I am really excited by it, but I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve got a lot to learn,” Wimbish said. “I don’t have anybody applying to college this year, so I get to be a fly on the wall. I get to soak up from what they [the other deans] know from years of college counseling.”

Wimbish began preparing for his job as upper school dean job on one of the junior college tours. During the summer, he attended a program hosted at Harvard University for admissions officers and college counselors. Wimbish said he wouldn’t be surprised if students were concerned with his lack of experience, but expects them to trust him.

“I feel like there are certain times that you need to prove yourself,” he said. “If people have questions on the way I do my job, it’s only natural. People experience new things all the time.  I think I would be a lot more nervous if I were the only college counselor and I had never done it.”