Leading With Imagination: Russell Shaw and the GDS Creative Thread

Over the years, each Head of School at GDS has been recognized for their distinctive character, which has shaped both their individual legacy and the GDS we know today. From founder and first Head of School Aggie O’Neil, with her unique blend of gifted teaching, love of children, and spirit of adventure; to second Head Edith Nash, known for her levelheaded straight talk and her ability to balance innovation with the tried and the true; to third Head Gladys Stern, whose unwavering enthusiasm and morally charged value system defined her tenure; to fourth Head Peter Branch, whose sophisticated administrative skill was coupled with deep compassion, all have left their mark through personal traits and traditions that helped GDS grow while remaining true to the founders’ original vision. That original vision included making the arts and creative expression a central part of the school’s curriculum.

Aggie made it clear from the very beginning how vital the founders considered the arts and how integral they would be to their school. In a radio interview broadcast in 1950, she expressed her own views on the subject:
“I feel very strongly that the healthy child uses the creative arts to help make himself a complete human being…In my opinion, creative expression is not ‘play’ but work, just as work itself is play if you enjoy it.”

In this regard, GDS has been fortunate to have Russell Shaw as its fifth and current Head of School. He has not only continued to ensure that the arts remain a fundamental part of the curriculum, but has also infused his tenure with his own creative energy, most evident in the way he has embraced certain traditions while making them uniquely his own. For example, each year at the Christmas Assembly, Russell performs an original work, The GDS Christmas Blues, a song for which he writes new lyrics annually to reflect on the state of the world, school events and happenings, and even inside jokes.

Russell tells the story of how this tradition came to be: “As part of my interview process 16 years ago for the GDS head of school opening, I met with the High School student body. In that meeting during the Q&A, one student shared, ‘Every year at the Christmas Assembly, Peter Branch (GDS’s then head of school) reads How the Grinch Stole Christmas. If you become Head of School, will you do the same thing?’”
 

Russell responded that if he were lucky enough to join the GDS community, he would likely let The Grinch remain Peter’s tradition and instead create something new and different to contribute to the assembly. That’s how The GDS Christmas Blues was born.

In addition to The GDS Christmas Blues, Russell has read poetry, lip-synced songs to share a message, and starred, in full character, in several internally produced videos for the school including welcome-back videos from faculty to students after summer break, informational videos on various topics such as traffic procedures, and the classic snow-day videos in which he joyfully announces to faculty and students alike that they will have the rare treat of a day off to enjoy sledding, building snowmen, forts, and angels, sipping hot chocolate, or simply resting with a book by a window, watching the quiet snowfall. What could be more satisfying than sharing with beloved colleagues and students the joyous, slightly rebellious message: “Happy Snow Day!”

Here are a few selections from his creative works for GDS:

• GDS Christmas Blues 2024-25
• Here Comes the Snow
• It’s a Beautiful Day for a Snow Day
• Russell Shaw Transportation Ted Lasso
• Boots on the Ground GDS Style ( A Welcome Back Video)