By Eliana Yoken ‘26 and Meret Pajkic ‘26

Through the wall-to-wall windows of Tim Bazemore's office, which frame a miniature wooded forest, you can hear Lower Schoolers shrieking across the Fir Grove. Laughter from games of tag and hide and seek has become the score to Bazemore's 12 years at Catlin Gabel School (CGS). While most of his job involves sitting in on meetings, the windows tether him to what matters.

“Every year,” Bazemore told us with a grin, “there are kids who hide below the window and knock on the glass, then duck. And every year they think they’ve invented this totally new game.” It’s games like this, Bazemore says, that are the highlights of his job.

Bazemore didn’t arrive at CGS by accident; in fact, his arrival here was the amalgamation of years of hard work and teaching. He began as a middle and high school history teacher in Philadelphia.

He then spent five years as an admissions director and then seven as a middle school head, gaining a vital understanding of how schools actually function. In his last stop before CGS, Bazemore headed to New Canaan Country School in Connecticut, where he served as Head of School for 14 years. That stewardship alone speaks to the patience and willingness for change that he brought with him to CGS.

Once Bazemore was ready to move on, he looked for a school in which his own life goals and values lay in its foundation. "I wanted a K-12, a progressive school, in a community my family would love," he said simply, adding on by saying he wanted "more outdoor activities” and general political progressiveness.

In 2014, Tim entered the first part of his CGS journey as Head of School. He explained that “when [he] first became head, a lot of it was about figuring out the culture of the school.”

One of Bazemore’s first acts was to invite as many employees as possible to sit down with him. His intention was not to announce his vision for the school, but rather to hear what our community had to say. He wanted to know what they loved about the school and what they wished were different.

Tim’s first chapter at the school was largely focused on community engagement. In this era, CGS benefited from the founding of the Equity and Inclusion Office (E and I office).

*Catlin Gabel School all-school assembly. Courtesy of* *The Caller.*

Bazemore described this as an exciting time filled with collaboration and new beginnings, in which he and the greater CGS faculty were “doing a lot of wonderfully creative generative thinking,” including “a strategic and campus plan” for future years.

The aforementioned Equity and Inclusion office was founded, thanks to Bazemore’s early vision. With the Strategic Inclusion Plan already in place, this effort positioned the school ahead of its peers at the time. Since its founding, the department has continued to evolve in both its staffing and its scope, shifting its focus from establishing equity and inclusion as a school-wide priority to embedding it into daily practice.

Connie Kim-Gervey, Director of E and I at CGS, says that the work in the inclusion office has been able to “standardize practices and implement curriculum that can support students, families, and employees alike.” The groundwork laid in those early years, with Bazemore’s help, remains the foundation upon which this deeper, more integrated work can continue to grow.

However, in the latter half of his tenure, Bazemore was faced with some significant challenges, notably the COVID-19 pandemic and its social implications. The pandemic shut down campus and posed a threat to learning at CGS.

Nevertheless, under Bazemore’s leadership, CGS rose to the occasion. According to Oregon Live, CGS devised an entire pandemic management plan and was also able to vaccinate over 70% of its student body before most of the state even got access to COVID-19 vaccines. This achievement shows the true determination of Bazemore in caring for the school beyond academics.

During those three years, as Bazemore described, his role as Head of School meant “holding the community together,” and “focusing on taking care of each other.” This was done while being true to the mission of the school of fostering youth voices, agency, and general independence.

His journey has come full circle as he believes that in 2026, the school will have emerged from the COVID-19 crisis with a renewed “future-focused” outlook with innovative initiatives beginning to take hold within our community. The school's initiatives include helping students continue to grow their own independence and advocacy inside the classroom, something that Bazemore thinks makes CGS stand out.

For Bazemore, looking towards the future wasn't just an abstract goal; it meant deeply rooting himself in the community through building and sustaining individual relationships with the employees and students of CGS.

Soon after John Harnetiaux, Dean of Students, was offered his job at CGS in 2016, Bazemore sent him an email. "His email was really authentic and kind, and I thought it was really amazing that a head of school would take the time to do that," Harnetiaux remarked. This welcoming environment, cultivated largely due to Bazemore’s efforts, was what had convinced him to take the job.

Harnetiaux also explained that "Tim is one of the most skilled people at managing complexity. He has managed so much unseen stuff here at school." What students see, he suggests, and even what faculty see, is "maybe just the tip of the iceberg of the things that he has to manage."

CGS senior, Aston Selley ‘26, told us that he always remembers being greeted by Bazemore’s warm smile on his walks into school. These delightful memories, held by many members of the CGS community, are reciprocated by Bazemore as well.

Students and faculty also remember how every year, Bazemore opened the all-school assembly with a guiding goal for the community, each one building off the last. The theme this year was “How kind can we be?” For many, those assemblies were their clearest window into who Bazemore actually was.

When prompted about his favorite memory in his time at CGS, Bazemore’s brows furrowed as he struggled to pick just one until, through the door of his office, a voice screamed, “Tell them about Applegate!”

As some CGS students might recall, in the midst of the pandemic, Bazemore was seen eating an apple with his mask off right after the school published a new set of guidelines stating there would be no eating or drinking done inside whatsoever. That spring, when the graduating class took the stage, each student handed Bazemore an apple while receiving their diploma, to commemorate that iconic memory, ultimately leaving him with a boatload of bright red apples.

Other favorite memories include spending time with faculty and students, whether that be climbing trips with Harnetiaux, Jesse Lowes (CGS middle school science teacher), Mike Wilson (Associate Director of Grounds), and Matt Compton (former CGS dad), or taking the time out of his day to connect with students inside and outside of the classroom.

Pursuit of genuine connection carried through everything Bazemore shared in our interview. He emphasizes the importance of “expecting the unexpected” and being comfortable thinking on one's feet, making the statement, “It’s never going to go the way you plan… just go with it and do your best.”

Bazemore shares this piece of advice not only as a reflection on his time at the school but as a lesson to share with incoming school head Aline Garcia-Rubio, whom he has worked with personally for many years.

Bazemore speaks about Garcia-Rubio with unmistakable warmth, noting that she's already deeply connected to the community and carries a genuine love for progressive education. "She is one of the absolute best educators I've ever worked with," he said. "She is a rock star."

*Tim Bazemore and Aline Garcia-Rubio. Courtesy of* *The Caller.*

After 12 years, Bazemore is clear about what it takes to lead a school: "You have to be willing to be silly and goofy and make a fool of yourself and have some fun along the way, because it's hard work, and it's super important work."

As Bazemore transitions into retirement and, as he puts it, “[steps] away for a few years,” he will remain steadfast in his commitment to “stay connected to friends” and the greater CGS community. Whether that means coming back for sporting events like homecoming or bringing his family for walks in the woods on the campus.

Although Bazemore plans to go with the flow as he enters this new third chapter of his life, he has committed to at least one climbing trip per month with his youngest son, Luke, “noodling around on the bass guitar,” and spending time with his wife, Lisa, and eldest son, Tyler.

Even when Bazemore is off in retirement, outside his window, the Lower Schoolers will still be shrieking across the Fir Grove, and one of them is probably knocking on the glass.

Tim Bazemore on expecting the unexpected, Applegate, and his retirement