New chief named at Academy at Charlemont
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CHARLEMONT - A teacher with extensive experience in theater and dance at a private school in eastern Massachusetts will begin as head of school at the Academy at Charlemont July 1.
Mark Efinger, who is serving as the program manager for acting and directing at Phillips Academy in Andover, was recently named head of school by the board of trustees, becoming the first headmaster in its 30-year history to come from outside the school.
Efinger succeeds interim head of school David Perry, with whom he will work over the next six months to ensure a smooth transition, according to a statement from the school.
In a letter to the trustees, Efinger, who has a bachelor of arts degree in theater from Middlebury College and a masters in fine arts degree from the University of North Carolina, expressed gratitude for the selection.
"As I write this, I feel tremendous excitement anticipating our journey together," Efinger wrote.
The academy is an independent college preparatory day school for children in grades seven through 12 whose students and alumni come from throughout the Pioneer Valley, Berkshires and southern Vermont, including Amherst, Belchertown and Northampton. David Epstein, chairman of the board of trustees, said that Efinger will be a "dynamic educator who will lead our program with confidence and creativity and serve to inspire faculty and students."
Efinger and wife Cindy will live in Windsor.
He is just the fourth head of school, following Eric Grinnell, Todd Sumner and Perry.
