Leading with Heart: Deepening the Potential of Boarding

Tiger — Spring/Summer 2026 Issue

There's a question about change that Andrew McNiven and Jess Roud, Ridley's Deans of Boarding, get asked a lot, and they have learned to be careful with their answer. Implementing changes to the boarding programme at Ridley doesn’t mean something was broken — it's deepening what was already there. Through the Leading with Heart strategic plan, there has been an evolution, one where we’re now unlocking the true potential of what a dynamic boarding experience can mean for a student’s life.

"Alumni always want to know what's changed since their time at Ridley," says Andrew. "But the moment you say, 'we changed this' or 'we fixed that,' it sounds like what came before wasn't good. That's not the story."

The story, as Andrew and Jess tell it, is more deliberate and less dramatic, but arguably more meaningful. Over several years, boarding at Ridley has been a foundational pillar of successive strategic plans and a priority for improvement, not through a single sweeping overhaul, but through a sustained, principled commitment to making something good into something great. 

"The biggest shift has been toward continuous improvement," Andrew says. "Not one transformation, but a decision to keep moving the needle, consistently, with structure behind it."

That structure has become something much larger than just the boarding programme. It goes hand in hand with a culture shift at Ridley that has been central to successive strategic plans. 

For over a decade now, flourishing has been at the heart of everything. Ridley has long positioned itself as a leader in positive education, built around a simple ambition: to help students feel good and do good — not just within these walls, but in communities far beyond them. That vision is grounded in PERMA-V, the human development framework developed by Dr. Martin Seligman, in which each letter represents a pillar of wellbeing: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, achievement and vitality.

It’s more than just a poster on the wall or a few words in Chapel. Every adult on campus, from faculty to advisors to boarding staff, is all bought in and working towards the same goal. For boarding, the opportunity to fully embrace PERMA-V was impossible to miss. Every decision in the boarding programme, from how a weekend is structured to how a staff member approaches a difficult conversation with a student, is now filtered through it.

"Walk into any dorm," Andrew says. "Talk to any staff member. Talk to students. You'll see it reflected everywhere."

Ten to 15 years ago, the landscape was completely different than what it is today, not just at Ridley, but at most independent boarding schools.

Houses operated largely in isolation. Competition between them was fierce, collaboration rare. And the role of boarding staff was more focused on supervision — making sure students were where they needed to be. At Ridley, that’s shifted to a more holistic model focused on collaboration, with boarding staff stepping up in a “parenting” role focused on the development of the whole person. 

Vitality, the V in PERMA-V, is where boarding has the most natural influence: sleep routines, nutrition, stress management and the balance of an active life. These aren't abstract concepts in a House; they're the texture of everyday.

The culture shift is only part of the story. Improving our existing facilities has also been a priority. A perfect example is the introduction of dimmable lights in the dorm rooms. It seems small, but even something simple can improve vitality and encourage positive sleep routines. Other recent dorm improvements included upgraded kitchenettes in common rooms and new water stations throughout our Houses. 

Another concrete expression of the philosophy is a new intentionality of weekend programming. It’s an area that Andrew and Jess say is nearly unrecognizable from where it stood five years ago. Now, the entire year is mapped out in advance, with a deliberate mix of on-campus and off-campus activities. Houses build additional programming around that framework, creating layers of engagement for students who live on campus. 

"Many comparable schools largely empty out on weekends," Andrew notes. "We don't. We have hundreds of students here, which creates a real responsibility. And we've leaned into that."

Students now expect something exciting to happen over the weekend. That programming has been built deliberately to make the experience more meaningful. It also helps build unity within the House between boarding and day students. When something cool is happening on the weekend, day students often show up on campus, even when they aren’t required to be there. 

There’s been a lot of progress made over the course of the Leading with Heart strategic plan, and Andrew and Jess weren't content to keep what they were learning to themselves.

What began as an internal conversation about professional development eventually grew into something none of them had quite anticipated. They created the Community of Boarding School Staff (COBSS), which is now a national network connecting 15–20 schools each year.

The model is refreshingly practical. Participating staff work in small cohorts throughout the year, identifying real challenges, developing programme ideas, testing them with their own students and reporting back on what actually worked. The programme culminates in an in-person summit hosted by one of the member schools.

"It's low-cost, highly practical and focused on what actually matters: working with students," Jess says. "And it's had a huge impact on our own programme. We're constantly learning from others and bringing ideas back."

Building on the concept of learning best practices from other schools, an opportunity presented itself last year. Andrew and Jess, with support from Ridley leadership and made possible by our professional development fund, were able to gain a better understanding of Ridley's standing on a global scale. They packed their bags and headed to the U.K., visiting eight top boarding schools across the pond. The tour proved to be some of the most valuable professional development either has experienced. 

What they found surprised them, in the best possible way. Many of the schools they visited, storied institutions with centuries of history, were still operating in relative isolation. Collaboration between schools was nonexistent. The culture of wellbeing and focus on flourishing of the whole person that Ridley has been building was, in some cases, ahead of what they encountered abroad. 

"We came back feeling confident," Andrew says. "In many ways, we're not catching up — we're keeping pace, or even leading in some areas." 

Where British schools did hold a clear advantage was in infrastructure: more on-campus housing, more embedded staff and greater flexibility in how space could be used. It was an honest assessment, and they returned from the trip with a sharper sense of what future investment at Ridley could unlock. 

Ask Andrew and Jess where Ridley’s programme needs to grow, and they answer without hesitation. 

Facilities are near the top of the list. Common spaces, updated dorm interiors and greater flexibility in how residential space can be allocated as enrolment shifts. These are the kinds of investments that aren't glamorous but matter enormously to the lived experience of boarding students and staff. 

There are other things to consider as well: more experiential opportunities for students, changes to the staffing model and the development of a longer-term arc that creates a truly intentional boarding journey from Grade 6 through to graduation. 

They have an ambitious vision. But to continue advancing Ridley’s boarding programme and ensure the experience continues to improve, that is required. 

The new goals for boarding at Ridley will take shape under our next strategic plan. However, what’s clear today is that the programme remains a cornerstone at Ridley, and big things are in the works. 

“We’re in a strong position internationally,” says Andrew. “With the right investments, in people and in our Houses, we can continue to lead." 

For alumni who remember late-night study halls and the camaraderie of House life, that's the most reassuring thing to hear: the best of what made boarding at Ridley formative hasn't been discarded. Instead, we’re building on what has made it great, carefully and strategically, to ensure it remains a life-changing experience for generations of Ridleians yet to come.