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    • Bynum addresses students at the 2021 Back to School Assembly.

"If a Task Is Once Begun": Bynum Bids Hopkins Farewell

Zach Williamson ’22, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Anand Choudhary ’22, Lead Arts Editor Emeritus
On June 30, Dr. Kai Bynum will end his tenure as Hopkins’ 109th Head of School after six years in the role.
A Seattle native, Bynum is a recipient of degrees from the University of Washington, Columbia University, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Before coming to Hopkins, he served as Chief Academic Officer and Director of Strategic Initiatives at Roxbury Latin School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Bynum’s first interaction with Hopkins came in 2013, while working with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to accredit the school. Bynum remarked about his first impression of Hopkins, “I knew about this school, I knew the academic reputation, that they had great kids and talented faculty, but the vibe was really cool when I got here. [One student] came up to me and asked me how I was doing, asked me if I needed help going anywhere, told me what he was doing, and was just openly kind. I’ve never forgotten that—I remember thinking this really was a different place with a sense of kindness and inclusivity.”

Throughout his time as Head of School, Bynum has been an avid supporter of Hopkins’s extracurricular programs. He reflected on two moments in which he “felt something special at Hopkins”: “The most recent was Les Mis. I loved Les Mis. The finale was especially touching.” Bynum’s second most memorable moment at Hopkins was “a football game in 2019 where we came into the playoff game, were down by 35 points, and came back to win the game. It wasn’t that the team came back to win the game; it was the community feel afterward. All of the kids that were watching the game were invited on the field by Coach Phipps. He gave a pep talk to all of the kids and players and said ‘We’re all Hilltoppers,’ and I loved that.”

Bynum has accomplished immense progress for Hopkins. He led Hopkins through this difficult period triumphantly by enacting the Hopkins360 plan and regularly checking in with students and faculty. Regarding this time, Bynum demurred, “Firstly, I, alone, didn’t do anything. We have a team that works on almost anything that we’re proud of, like increasing financial aid every year for our kids, expanding our efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion, student support, and mental health, and making sure that we continue to celebrate the arts.” In discussing the challenges associated with his term, Bynum is quick to acknowledge that “getting us through COVID was a biggie,” but also that “seeing the smiles on the other end of it and trying to make sure that the school is in a strong space coming through was a good thing for us.”

In July, Bynum will formally assume the role of Head of School at Lakeside School in Seattle. Looking forward, Bynum is “excited about going to Seattle. It’s been twenty-one years since I’ve been home. There are very, very few schools in this country that have the ingredients that Hopkins and Lakeside do. To be able to be in two of them is pretty exciting.” Moving on from New Haven is bittersweet, though. Bynum said the thing he’ll miss most about New Haven is the “food! The food scene was one of the first things that was a surprise for me when I moved here, coming from the Boston area. I find new restaurants every year. I’m not going to find New Haven pizza in Seattle! You’ve got to be willing to go try something new and realize that it’s great, and it’s so close. It’s all right there.”

Bynum will be succeeded by Dr. Matt Glendinning, current Head of School of Moses Brown School in Providence. To Glendinning, Bynum offers these words of wisdom: “Spend as much time with the kids as you can... That’s the joy. When I think about things that I really appreciated, that’s the top of the list, and I wish I had done more of it.”

To Hopkins students, whom Bynum describes as “dynamic, inclusive, bright, and diverse in all senses of the word,” he offers the following: “Be you. Know that you are loved and cared for. Don’t ever forget that, and have the confidence to be yourself. You’re allowing your full self to be a part of the experience, and not hiding aspects of yourself because you’re afraid of something. Be you.”
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