On September 24th, during a Wednesday morning assembly in Bingham, Mr. LaCasse, Assistant Head of School for Student Life, was honored with the Burch Ford Kaleidoscope Award for Excellence in Student & Residential Life. To be eligible for this award, one must be nominated by a member of their community through a letter sent to The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS). Every year, 3-4 of these kaleidoscopes are given out to those who show excellence, innovation, and commitment to the student life sector.
Mr. LaCasse has exemplified this commitment to student life through a variety of different aspects. One such example is that he is known for standing in the main hall and wishing an upbeat “good morning” to each student who passes by every single day like clockwork. If one were to ask Mr. LaCasse to name every single person who works at or goes to school at Taft, he would be able to. These smaller actions represent a larger commitment that Mr. LaCasse has made in an effort to create an open and inclusive environment. That is why the president of TABS, Susan Baldridge, stated that Mr. LaCasse’s nomination was unique in the fact that they received multiple letters supporting his receiving the award. She then proceeded to emphasize how rare this is and how much of an honor it is to receive several of these nominations.
When asked by The Papyrus what this award means to him, Mr. LaCasse stated that, “I knew Burch Ford through serving together on the associates of the boarding school board, and she was a gifted educator. It is a great honor to be given an award in her name.” He went on to say how he has been committed to boarding schools for a long time, working with great students, and that this is an affirmation of the work he has done and will continue to do as a leader within our community. Mr. LaCasse has been at Taft for 11 years, in a variety of different roles, including: U.S History teacher, Skiing and Crew coach, and working as an Assistant Head of School for the last nine years. Since he got to campus, Mr. LaCasse has been central to the identity of Taft as he seeks to foster an engaging and inclusive community. He will continue to be integral to Taft as it continues to change and evolve.
