Within his first year, Nate Venditta jumped headfirst into life at GS. From building relationships to helping reshape New Student Orientation, Nate has embraced what it means to be an active part of the school. Joining the school last fall – as a ninth-grade class dean in the Office of Student Life, dorm parent and math teacher – gave him a front-row seat to the many facets of the George School experience. But beyond the hats he wears, Nate leads by example, showing students and colleagues that there is always more you can give when you buy into the place you are part of.

“My entire ethos, from when I was a teacher to roles in administration, has always been, ‘if you’re in the business of schools, you’re in the business of relationships.’”

For Nate, those relationships must come first. As a class dean last year, he made it a priority to meet with every ninth-grade student before ever having a difficult conversation.

“I cannot have my first interaction with a kid while focusing on discipline. It must be, ‘who are you? What do you do? What do you like to do?’

“Say there is a student who has bad attendance, and that is all you know. It is hard to see the light in someone from only one angle. Being able to see students step up in other ways not only helps me do my job, but it helps them see I am invested in who they are, rather than just the discipline.”

That trust allows students to lean on Nate. “They tell me what they need,” he explained. “But they don’t come to me unless I’ve built a relationship where they feel like I’m going to listen.”

Rethinking New Student Orientation

That belief in showing up and building relationships set the foundation for Nate’s second year at George School. As he approached planning New Student Orientation (NSO), he needed returning students he could lean on with an interpersonal perspective to be leaders for incoming students. He took the opportunity to reinvent what it means to lead.

This year, Nate wanted the NSO leaders to think less about simply guiding new students through orientation and more about understanding what it feels like to be the person arriving. In mid-August, leaders reflected on their own first experiences at GS: being nervous, feeling lost, knowing a few people but not wanting to ask for help. The goal was to build empathy. Nate reminded the leaders that what a new student looks like on the outside may not tell the full story.

He invited leaders to remember their own experiences, “Many of the student leaders said, ‘if you had looked at me from the outside, I’m having fun, and everything is great, but of course inside it’s not,’” Nate said.

Even the challenges built into the training sessions for NSO leaders were designed with that idea in mind. From the ropes course to long days that pushed the students outside their usual boundaries, the training geared up leaders for not just the administrative, but the emotional realities of welcoming someone new to George School.

The Buy-In

For Nate, showing up matters as much as building relationships does. George School asks for a lot from its students and employees. Whether that is the long days, more vulnerability or even just moments of silence, becoming invested in the school sometimes means giving a little more than what is already required.

It is not easy to look at a busy weekend or another commitment on an already full calendar and think, “I can do that.” But Nate has found that the hardest part is often simply getting there. Once people make the effort to show up, the energy tends to follow.

“We’ve got to get past the mental block of ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘I don’t have time.’ Because once you are there, it’s great.”

Sometimes, buying in simply means getting through the door, even if it may seem tiring or intimidating. Because once you do, Nate trusts that the George School community will help carry you the rest of the way.

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Nate never hesitates to show up to campus events to show his support. At this year’s club fair, student leaders looked forward to sharing with him their plans for the year ahead.