Hillsborough, CA – The Nueva School announced today that Mark Schoeffel, one of the nation's leading high-school educators, will be the founding head of Nueva's new high school, opening August 2013.

Schoeffel joins The Nueva School from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where he has been Head of the Upper School since 2006. While there, Schoeffel successfully implemented a significant redesign of the school's 21st-century learning and leadership standards. He also oversaw expansion of the school's upper campus and the creation of Shipley's social-emotional literacy program. Prior to that, Schoeffel spent 12 years in a number of roles at The Lawrenceville School, a co-ed boarding and day school in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

"Mark shares a mindset, a cultural commitment and an optimism for the task ahead and will be a great asset to our community. We are thrilled to welcome Mark and his family to Nueva," explains Head of School Diane Rosenberg. Rosenberg has sat at the helm of The Nueva School throughout its extensive growth and expansion over the past 11 years and will continue to play a role in the development of the new high school and facility.

Schoeffel, a native of Toronto, attended Harvard College and has a master's degree in education from Harvard University. He was a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago. He is married to Laura and has three children, Eleanor, Henry, and Lucy. A recipient of Harvard's Best Male Scholar/Athlete award and a contending Rhodes Scholar finalist, Schoeffel has been a high school athletics coach as well as classroom teacher and administrator.

Schoeffel said he is excited to join the Bay Area's nationally recognized school.

"There are a few opportunities in life one cannot afford to miss, and building The Nueva High School is one of them'' Schoeffel said upon joining The Nueva School as Assistant Head of School. "With an emphasis on learning and intellectual engagement, we will offer highly motivated students the opportunity to experience four years of truly inspiring intellectual and personal growth, setting them up for success in college, and in life beyond. Nueva's high school will be a place where there is a reason for everything a student learns – and where the students understand how it all fits together.''

In conjunction with Schoeffel's hiring, The Nueva School announced it would accept applications for its inaugural freshman class this fall (enrolling August 2013). The new class will begin their studies at well-equipped temporary facilities in San Mateo and move to the new state-of-the-art facility at San Mateo's Bay Meadows development in 2014-15.

"The ambition of this project and the passion of the people supporting it are extraordinary,'' Schoeffel said. "I look forward to welcoming our first students in the fall of 2013 and the adventure that we will share together in building this dynamic new high school.''

Nueva will host Open House Sessions for prospective high-school students and parents on October 21, November 17, and December 2 at 1 pm. The school also offers Information Sessions on October 11 and December 14 at 9 am and November 5 and January 8 at 6 pm. See the school's website for more information: www.nuevaschool.org/highschool or contact the Admissions Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , tel. 650-350-4528.

About The Nueva School
The Nueva School, located in the San Francisco Bay Area and founded in 1967, is a nationally recognized independent school serving gifted and talented students. The school is a three-time winner of the US Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Award, and winner of the American Institute of Architects Award for School Design and Sustainability, as well as the Presidential Award for Teaching.

Nueva is a child-centered school emphasizing integrated studies, creative arts, and social-emotional learning. The school offers a constructivist program with inquiry-based project learning. For over 45 years, the school community has inspired passion for lifelong learning, fostered social and emotional acuity, and developed the imaginative mind.