Saving Miss Oliver's - Davenport, Stephen

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Résumé :
The fate of the beloved school is hanging in the balance. . . From the very first paragraphs, Saving Miss Oliver's is an engaging read and is very highly recommended to all general fiction readers. --Midwest Book Review There are moments here that indicate that Davenport, who, as his bio notes, 'had a long career in education,' was probably an excellent teacher, like a scene in which Francis explicates a Robert Frost poem with his class, and there are some wonderful students, like the head of the school newspaper who is conducting research about the sex lives of students. . . A book for anyone who's wondered about the inner workings and worries of a school administration. --Kirkus Reviews The prestigious boarding school Miss Oliver's School for Girls is on the cusp of going under. The trustees just fired the headmistress of the last thirty-five years, and the alumnae and students are angry and determined to hate her successor, the new--and male--head Fred Kindler. If only he can gain the support of the legendary senior teacher Francis Plummer, then Fred might have a fighting chance to save the school; but no one except Francis's wife and the school librarian, Peggy, is willing to give Fred a chance. With Fred's career on the line and the Plummers' marriage at stake, will Miss Oliver's survive to be the school it once was?

Biographie:
Stephen Davenport has taught in both day and boarding schools and served as the head of The Country School in Madison, CT, and The Athenian School in Danville, CA, and the director of the boarding camp Cragged Mountain Farm. Early in his career, he earned The Capital Area Distinguished Teacher Award from Trinity College. He has consulted with independent schools, doing executive searches, leading professional development workshops for faculties, and coaching school heads. Davenport?s been published in the New York Times Magazine, the New York Times Sunday travel section, and the Saturday Review and is now a full-time writer and volunteer, serving on the board of The Athenian School and of Aim High in the San Francisco Bay Area. He lives in Oakland, California.