Our New Head of School

Meet Bud Patel – family man, educator, world traveller, people person and natural leader. We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Patel and his delightful family to our school community. You only have to spend a few minutes in conversation with Bud to recognize that his passion is education. A lifelong learner, he often references authors who have inspired him or provided him with new ideas or a new way to look at things. One such author, Sir Ken Robinson, defines each person as having an “element” – that point at which natural talent meets personal passion. Mr. Patel is undoubtedly in his “element” in the educational field. Energized and inspired by young people, he is really looking forward to getting to know and interact with Brentwood students. As an added advantage, he will be able to empathize with them through his own boarding school experience, where he participated in rugby, basketball, soccer, field hockey and golf on the athletic side, and violin, cello and tenor sax, and as well set construction, in the arts. Several teachers have inspired Bud over the years, starting with his geography teacher. His innate fascination with people, combined with the brilliance of this particular teacher, spawned his interest in why people move around as it relates to physical landscapes. This ultimately led to his focus on Human Geography at university. However, his university success was not limited to the right side of the brain! Bud also enjoyed mathematics, earning 100% in first year Calculus and going on to study statistics as part of his Masters degree. He is also well known for his rugby playing prowess, mostly as a full back, both in high school, and then later for U.Vic, the Castaway Wanderers, the Crimson Tide senior men’s team, and for BC. He is also well respected for his coaching success at U.Vic These days, in addition to being an avid reader and self-professed news hound (following the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, the Washington Post, BBC and CBC nightly on his iPad), Mr. Patel’s non-working hours are focused primarily on his family.  He met his wife, Wendy, when they were both teachers at Shawnigan Lake School. Mrs. Patel is a Social Studies teacher (grades 6-12), and another source of educational inspiration for Mr. Patel, who proudly asserts that she is a “gifted teacher.” Mrs. Patel will be immersing herself in the Brentwood community in the year ahead, not only by supporting her husband in his new role, but also serving as a dutymaster and an advisor to students. Bud and Wendy have two daughters: Mitali, who has joined Brentwood’s grade 9 class, and Antara, in grade 7 at the local middle school.  Travelling has been a priority for this young family. The travel bug was instilled in Mr. Patel at an early age – by the time he was 18, he had visited every continent in the world except Antarctica! – and the Patels are continuing this tradition with their girls. When asked to select his preferred travel destination, he struggled to isolate just one – naming Argentina, Hong Kong, China and Zimbabwe (his birthplace). With his parents now retired in India, and a sister living in Kenya, he also identifies these as favourite places to visit. The opportunity to become Brentwood’s new Head of School was serendipitous for Mr. Patel and his family. Not only has Bud spent most of his life in the Cowichan Valley, but both of the Patel girls were born in a boarding environment. Bud and Wendy had always hoped that their family could once again experience being part of a boarding school community. The couple has always embraced new challenges, and they are thrilled to have the opportunity to return to Vancouver Island and join the Brentwood family.  One of Mr. Patel’s top priorities this year is to establish a 10-year Strategic Plan. This will be an inclusive and collaborative process involving all constituencies of the Brentwood community. With our unique and impressive school history as the foundation for this analysis, the Strategic Plan will review and analyze the School from all angles, ultimately identifying new ideas and opportunities, and a “road map” for the way forward. Mr. Patel is motivated by the ideology of Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, who professes that individuals and organizations must always be in a growth mind-set. He hopes that the collective Brentwood community will embrace this approach as we strive to provide even greater educational opportunities for Brentwood students.  Some details: At the end of November 2011, Brentwood’s Board of Governors announced the appointment of Mr. Patel as our next Head of School.  Because of his experience, background, depth of character, and natural leadership capability, Mr. Patel was the unanimous choice of the Search Committee and the Board.  He assumed his role as Head of School and CEO of Brentwood on July 15, 2012. In a rigorous eight month long selection process involving a global search and consultation with representatives of all constituencies in the Brentwood community, the Search Committee - led by Past Chair, current Governor, and Old Brentonian, Kip Woodward (1974) - reviewed over 25 candidates from several different countries before making their final decision. Prior to arriving at Brentwood, Mr. Patel was the Deputy Headmaster and Principal of the Senior School at St. George's in Vancouver, BC, where he was responsible for day to day operations involving 770 students, 120 faculty and support staff, and administration, including the academic timetable, co-curricular programming, discipline, transportation, food services, and budgeting processes. Prior to St. George's, Mr. Patel taught and coached at Shawnigan Lake School for eight years.  Mr. Patel graduated from Shawnigan Lake School in 1985, and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science (1989) from the University of Victoria and his Masters of Arts (2000) from the University of Victoria, majoring in Curriculum Studies with special emphasis in implementing technology.