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T
he Domingue Era at The Storm King School began on July 1, 2012,
when Paul C. Domingue officially became the 16th head of school in
Storm King’s 145 year history. Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, Paul and
his wife Dale are no strangers to the Northeast or education. Paul has spent his 35 year
career in the field of education, having served as head of school for Hebron Academy
in Maine and most recently for Verde Valley School in Arizona. Paul has served in
many roles throughout his career including teacher, coach, department head, develop-
ment director, dorm parent, assistant headmaster, and curriculum specialist.
After our initial introductory conver-
sation in last issue’s
On The Mountain
,
we sat down for an extended conversa-
tion with Paul in late July. While one of
the Mountain’s namesake storms raged
outside, we spoke about Paul’s back-
ground, the assets and perils of technol-
ogy, and what makes SKS such a unique
institution.
What was it like going to school for
you? Were you a good student?
I was a good student. I wasn’t a particu-
larly serious student in secondary school
but I went to a superb school and had
great teachers and that experience laid
the groundwork for everything I’ve done
since. It was a small Jesuit prep school
called Bishop Connolly, and I was in the
first graduating class. It was an all boys
school, we had 88 students in the class
and it was an exceptional experience.
I was also a camp counselor for many
years, and worked with kids running a
sailing program so it was kind of this
back door entry into education. I wasn’t
really planning on becoming a teacher.
What did you study in college then, if
not education?
It was a convoluted line, but it all started
in this little liberal arts honors program
that I was invited to participate in along
with 13 others. As part of that course,
which was a two year drill, they required
you to take some fine arts classes to
round out your experience, and I
became completely smitten with visual
arts. I thought it was the greatest thing
in the world. So I became an art major,
graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art
with a concentration in painting. I went
on to grad school and got my masters
of fine arts in visual design. So I had
every intention of pursing visual arts as
a career.
What’s your favorite medium?
Painting; works on paper.
Do you still paint?
I haven’t done it in quite some time,
because I’ve also been a musician my
whole life and I moved back into music
when I stopped teaching art. I play
guitar and bass.
So how did you end up teaching art?
Well, it’s funny, I was on my way back
from graduate school, going home, and
I drove right by my old high school.
And I stopped by to congratulate my
former English teacher who had just
been named principal of the school. He
was a real mentor to me as a kid. I went
into his office and we talked for quite
some time and I walked out three hours
later with a contract. I had absolutely
no intention of being a teacher when I
walked in that door! But he hired me to
Paul C. Domingue settles into his new role on the Mountain.
start an art department (they didn’t have
one), write the curriculum, and teach
it. And I ended up staying there for 13
years.
What did he say that convinced you?
We just started talking about all the
experiences we had together and my
obvious love of schools, and I think
at one point he said “Have you ever
thought about teaching?” “Well, not
really!” So that’s how I got into educa-
tion.
What do you enjoy most about teach-
ing?
The kids. Working with the kids, being
able to impact their lives positively.
Will you teach here?
Not now. Throughout my entire admin-
istrative career I’ve insisted on the ability
to either teach or coach as a way to keep
my hands in the day-to-day activity of
the school and the life of the kids. But
I can’t do that here yet. I’m going to be
on the road a lot in the beginning, and
being on the road, missing classes, that’s
not fair to the kids.
In the last issue of
On The Mountain
,
we asked you what excited you most
about The Storm King School. You
answered “Storm King understands
and values its heritage but has taken
steps to remain a vibrant, viable
institution in a changing world. And
it’s done so without losing its sense of
self.” Can you expand on that a little?
What do you perceive as the School’s
“
sense of self?”
Well, it was validated during the strate-
gic planning retreat we had a few weeks
ago. When I came in for my interviews
and subsequent conversations, I came
away with an image of the School that
had tried to solve the problems that
