Julia Conway '05 and Torey Van Oot '05

Headmaster Eric Widmer announced that he has accepted an offer from Jordan's King Ahdullah to become the first headmaster of King's Academy in Amman, Jordan, opening in the fall of 2007.

The Academy, modeled after Deerfield, will use an American high school curriculum, with classes taught primarily in English, but will have the atmosphere of Deerfield combined with the rich culture of the Arab world. One of the first items on Mr. Widmer's agenda as Headmaster will he applying for Round Square membership.

The Academy is described in its case statement as "an independent, coeducational boarding school that will offer outstanding young men and women from the Middle East an opportunity for an educational experience unlike any available throughout the entire region."

A diverse student body is a one aspect of Deerfield Mr. Widmer would like to bring to King's Academy. "I hope someday that when peace comes back to the Middle East, we'll have a good group of students from Israel," he said. Students from Egypt, Iraq. Jordan, and Lebanon are expected to enroll, as well as American and European students whose parents are based out of the Middle East.

Mr. Widmer formally accepted the position last July when attending the ground breaking ceremony in Jordan. He is ready to take on the challenge of founding a new school, despite postponing his retirement plans.

"I truly was looking forward to a simpler life in Rhode Island, but at the same time I didn't think that my working life had ended.... Suddenly, this idea was put to me by King Abdullah, and I didn't say yes immediately, but as I thought about it, I couldn't turn it down. I think the school really does have a chance to improve relations between the Middle East and the United States."

In a statement to the trustees, Mr. Widmer mentioned King Ahdullah's vision for the new school. The King sees this as "utterly progressive, utterly idealistic, utterly optimistic, and utterly necessary."