Welcome

A middle schooler at heart and a lifelong activist, Middle School Dean Bill Ivey co-founded the Stoneleigh-Burnham Middle School in 2004. Ivey’s love of innovative, research-based learning - which he enthusiastically brings to the SBS Middle School - began when he was a student. Ivey majored in French at Middlebury College with a concentration in Music and earned an M.A.T. in French from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

In addition to serving as Dean, Ivey teaches various courses in both the middle and upper schools— a favorite among students being Rock Band. A Grade 7 Parent recently remarked, “I am deeply appreciative of the ways in which Bill has nurtured my 7th grader in her independent thinking and authentic sense of self. I feel confident that Bill knows, accepts, and validates my child for who she is.” Greg Snedecker, a fellow performing arts faculty, shares “Bill’s passion for teaching is expressed through his deep empathy for others. In the classroom, he takes the utmost care to consider each student’s needs and learning style. He is also an accomplished musician (most don’t know he started on the French horn) and leads Rock Band with a spirit of true community and collaboration. Bill is the rare teacher, who after 38 years of teaching, continues to grow with his students in solidarity while also sharing his wisdom.” 

Of course, it’s not just our SBS parents and faculty who believe in Ivey and his good work. Ivey is a much sought-after contributor in major educational networks and is involved outside of SBS with various educational organizations to ensure the SBS Middle School is employing best practices to most appropriately serve our youngest students. Ivey acts as the equity, inclusion, and social justice advisor on the board of the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) and is also an equity in middle grades education committee representative on the board of the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE). Additionally, Ivey is actively involved in educational networks across the country and has partnered with some of the best minds in the field on subjects ranging from gender-inclusivity to dress code to allyship to identity across a myriad of podcasts. 

Most recently, Ivey was featured on Jen Cort’s Thirdspace podcast: Supporting all students in a gender inclusive girls school (2022). Cort is an educational consultant in the areas of equity, inclusion, diversity and justice. In her podcast, Cort opens up a "third space" - a place outside our familiar home and work environments - in order that we might begin to engage in some of the provocative questions that need to be addressed. Ivey reports, “Cort’s questions were thoughtful, causing me to take my own thinking deeper. Plus, she is kind and empathetic, ever-focused on what's best for students and families.” Cort and Ivey share this commitment to what’s best, and have bonded over their common values for some time. They are networked through the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE), where Cort is co-chair of the equity in middle grades education committee.

Additionally, Ivey has also been featured on the Classroom Q & A podcast with Larry Ferlazzo: Rethinking School Dress Codes: We Should Dress for... (2018). Joining Ivey on the podcast, which highlights the fact that school dress codes are perennially controversial, is SBS alumnae Jax Morgan ‘19. At the time, Morgan was the Student Council President responsible for reimagining the SBS dress code. Morgan recently shared, "Bill is an incredible mentor who encouraged me to speak on a podcast called 'Classroom Q&A' about the work I was doing in Stoneleigh-Burnham's student council. Bill's support and advocacy for the students he works with is unparalleled, and in the years since I graduated from SBS, I continue to reflect on his kindness and the tremendous impact he made on the SBS community." 

In His, Hers, and Theirs: Gender and Education (2016), Ivey was featured on the 3 Women 3 Ways podcast hosted by Heather Stark. In this podcast, Ivey is joined by Dr. Janet Hyde, researcher and professor, as they discuss whether or not single-gender education allows for an educational environment that caters to the way different students learn or if it is a well-intentioned throwback to sexism. And, importantly, what race and money, among other factors, have to do with it.

In both Being an Ally for Social Justice (2016) and Teaching About Identity (2016) on the Pushing the Edge podcast hosted by Greg Curran, Ivey was a return feature. ‘Being an Ally for Social Justice’ features Ivey in conversation with Christina Torres, an English Teacher in Honolulu, Hawaii, and offers useful tips on how to address ‘What if we want to speak up but aren’t sure if our words are right?’ and ‘What if we slip up and make a mistake?’. ‘Teaching about Identity’ provides insight into how we move beyond a focus on individual aspects of identity and instead explore intersectionality— how aspects such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and socio-economic status, among others, interact.

Ivey’s features across an incredible network of educational outlets only scratch the surface on his expertise. Assistant Head of School for Community and Program Shawn Durrett reports, “Bill has deep foundational knowledge of middle school minds and development which enables him to understand how to meet students where they are and encourage and support them as they grow during their middle school years.” And it’s not just students that Ivey serves with a full heart, Humanities Faculty & Academic Skills Instructor Megan Buchanan shares, “Bill's warmth, kindness and open-heart, his deep experience, and his collaborative nature has been such a steady resource and a balm to me as a new faculty member at SBS.” while Academic Dean Lauren M. Cunniffe offers, “Bill is a kind and compassionate colleague.”

Thank you to Bill Ivey, the SBS Middle School team, and SBS students and families for making the Middle School such a special place to be an owl. To learn more, visit sbschool.org/academics/middle-school-grades-7-8.