News & Events

In 2010, with the creation of the Batten Leadership Program, Norfolk Academy forged a new paradigm for how independent schools can develop the leaders of tomorrow. With a unique combination of experiential education, leadership development, and community engagement, the Batten Leadership Program (BLP) has become a national model for forming compassionate, civic-minded leaders. To date, hundreds of Upper School students have benefited from the school’s BLP programming and resources.

Now, 14 years later, Norfolk Academy is embarking on a new and expanded vision for the Batten Leadership Program, one in which every student in grades 1-12 has Batten Leadership Program experiences during their time at Norfolk Academy.

The reframing of the program comes during a transition in the program’s leadership. Sean Wetmore ’86, a longtime teacher, coach, and administrator, who served as the founding director, has left the school to work in an entrepreneurial venture. Jack Gibson ’08, an Upper School history teacher, former director of the Global Affairs Fellows, and assistant director of the Batten Leadership Program, has stepped into the leadership role.

“We believe this expansion of the Batten Leadership Program will better allow us to serve the school’s mission of developing leaders, who unselfishly lead in service of others,” Gibson said. “In addition, we anticipate that this expansion will enable our school to continue making meaningful contributions to our broader community.”

In an effort to build toward this vision, the school has moved all of its experiential education and community engagement programs under the program’s umbrella; it now includes the five Fellows Programs (Chesapeake Bay, Global Health, Global Affairs, Literacy, and EDI, shorthand for Engineering, Design, and Innovation); the Tunstall Upper School Maymester; the Royster Middle School Mini-mester; Leadership Lab (9th grade); the Medical Scholars and Financial Scholars Programs, and Community Engagement programming.

While the programs of the BLP encompass different divisions and have different curricular focuses, all of these programs share the same Batten Leadership Program DNA. These programs are authentic experiential learning programs, driven by community engagement, infused with leadership development, and perhaps most importantly, they are designed, implemented, and executed by Norfolk Academy teacher-coaches.

The Batten Program began in 2010 as the Center for Civic and Global Leadership. In 2016, it was renamed the Batten Leadership Program, made possible by a transformational gift from Mrs. Jane Batten to honor her late husband, Frank Batten, and his pioneering work as a media executive, which included serving as chairman and CEO of Landmark Communications, publisher of The Virginian-Pilot, and founder of The Weather Channel. He also served as president of the Academy’s Board of Trustees (1975–79).

During his many years in publishing, Batten emphasized the importance of fortifying the civic life of communities. He said, “The earlier in their careers that exceptional students begin to think of themselves as future public leaders who can promote a better society, the greater the likelihood they will become such leaders.”

In recent years, the school has been moving toward a more coordinated approach to leadership development, experiential education, and community engagement. Restructuring the Batten Leadership Program facilitates that coordination; and allows the BLP’s resources to more directly impact students in all three Norfolk Academy divisions. In addition, it streamlines communication between the school and a growing list of organizations in Hampton Roads with which the school partners for community engagement and service projects. 

“This expansion to the Batten Leadership Program is an important step to foster connections between our co-curricular programs and to strengthen our distinctive approach to leadership education for our students, starting right when they arrive in first grade,” said Head of School Travis Larrabee. “We are excited about the possibilities it offers, not only now, but in the years ahead, as we continue to innovate.”