Palmer Trinity School

27 S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 V ISIONA ER I E Rather than begin with a series of successes, or list each successive senior position he has held, Patrick began by talking about loss and heartbreak. When he was 11, his older brother died in a tragic car accident, followed by the loss of his mother in his early adulthood. Despite those impactful losses, he expressed how lucky he was to be a member of a very close-knit family. "I was blessed within my family—there were some strong individuals that influenced me when I was younger. I spent summers working on my maternal grandfather's farm. I learned a lot from my grandparents, and developed a very simple, common sense approach to life. However, my father is by far the greatest influence in my life, and someone who I am lucky is still with me. I don't get to see him as often as I like. However, he has been a great father, and now a friend," he says. "My mother was the kindest person I know. She was open and accepting of all people," Patrick says. "Mom was always there for me." Patrick leads a very full life, a hallmark of visionaries. He met his wife Laura and her son TJ in 2005. He knew instantly that they were his family. In addition to TJ, now 24, Patrick and Laura have four children under the age of nine: Cook, Hagan, John Patrick and Katherine Ann. Patrick attended Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA), a private boys' school. In 1993, when MBA invited him back as a volunteer and coach, he knew that education and working with young people was exactly what his life's work should be. His AP English teacher, Mary Ellen Lowry, reinforced a work ethic that he still follows. "You had to be prepared in her class," he explained. "You had to be ready." Since 2014, he has been the Head of School at Palmer Trinity, and just as significant, he has taught sixth grade and an independent study course. He believes that success, as it is often defined, is not always measurable in well-ordered data. After spending nearly 25 years in education, he recognizes that numbers may obscure a larger truth: "ere is such an emphasis on the quantifiable," he says, "when it really should be the qualitative experience that needs to be focused on. What are we doing to push our students appropriately and to challenge them so that they develop the skills they need to work both individually and in teams, rather than fixating only on test scores?" e concept of "teams" is significant to Patrick. "I was always a part of a team — as a student, as a coach, and when I worked at an advertising agency immediately after college. We are much stronger when we work together. I think so many good benefits come from being a part of a team," he says. As a rule, visionaries are open-minded and unafraid of change. ey actively seek out new ideas. is is what the 'team' mentality did for Patrick. "For me, from an organizational Every day I learn something new. Whether it is a perspective that I might not have been aware of or an approach, every day I am learning. I think that concept is critical for educators. As educators, when we say 'we know it all,' I think it's time to retire. The attitude needed is that I am going to learn something today. I am going to come out better today than when I started. I need to put myself in a position to learn." below, from left Rising 8 th -grade family trip to Sea Island, GA with his maternal grandparents, June 1983; High school graduation from MBA with friend Demetri; Patrick Roberts and Harvey Sperling; Patrick Roberts with his two closest friends – David Boring (left) is Mr. Roberts' former mentor who served as Associate Head of School in Michigan and Andy Knote (right) teaches English and coaches soccer at University Liggett School in Michigan.

• Cover