This Fall, Mr. Frank Casaine stepped into a new roll at Saint Stephen’s: Director of Student Affairs, after serving in various roles in adminstration last year.
The goal with adding this position in the upper school was to have a more proactive approach regarding student affairs and concerns.
Before working in education, Casaine coached women’s volleyball for years, and he now serves as head coach for the girls varsity program.
Casaine explained that his role in the Upper School is to manage student discipline, and in doing so, he looks for ways to improve sub-optimal situations with a strategic mindset.
“I don’t look to see what everybody’s doing wrong,” Casaine said. “We identify when there’s opportunities that aren’t working the way they should.”
However, Casaine also clarified that his job was not to police anybody, with his goal instead being oriented towards motivating kids to improve themselves.
“In coaching, you don’t need to remind them of their mistakes,” Casaine commented. “You just need to help them figure out how to do it better or maybe how to repeat something they’ve done well before. My role, it’s very similar.”
His second role is Chief of Staff to the Head of School. As Chief of Staff, he focuses primarily on strategy for the coming years and observing students to see what they need.
Casaine emphasized that students can come to him if they have ideas about improving students’ quality of life.
“If anybody has an idea of how we just make life better here on campus, I would want to know about it,” Casaine said. “My goal this year is to really understand the things that students need most.”
Casaine stressed the importance of self-advocacy for the student body, expressing interest in teaching young people what that means and how to implement it. He wants the student body to learn how to empower themselves and bring up concerns or feedback.
Casaine’s office is located on the first floor of the Turner building, and its doors are always open for anybody who needs assistance. When asked if there was anything he wanted the students to know, he said that he loves seeing kids succeed.
“I’m just your biggest cheerleader.”
