It’s no wonder why Brendan Hoyle gravitates towards education. His dad is a college professor. His mom, an elementary school teacher. His grandfather, a teacher. His grandmother, a school librarian. His uncle, a principal.

     He has been working at Norfolk Collegiate School in Norfolk, VA, for over 12 years. Next, Hoyle will become the Head of Upper School at Shorecrest beginning in July.

     Despite this, Hoyle grew up dreaming of a career in the arts. That is, until he taught his first class.

     “The great feelings that you can get from really impacting a student’s life changed my direction,” he said. 

     He later began mentoring teachers and even began a master’s degree in independent school leadership in 2023 to make a greater impact on people. In his current role as Director of Arts & Innovation at Norfolk Collegiate, Hoyle leads projects in the elementary school, develops curriculum for the upper and middle schools, teaches three classes, works on plays and musicals and develops faculty bonding programs. At Shorecrest, however, Hoyle said he is excited to focus on just the Upper School.

     “I really like working with teenagers. I think it’s really an amazing time in life when they’re figuring themselves out and working to develop into the adults they’re gonna become,” he said. 

     Hoyle said he also looks forward to the transition into division leadership.

     “It’s such an amazing position to be able to support both faculty and students. That’s my favorite thing to do.”

     After a long interview process, Head of School Nancy Spencer called Hoyle to inform him that he got the job.

     “I was pumped,” Hoyle said. “I had hoped that the school community had felt as strongly about me as I felt about them.”

     After a search consultant read through resumes and conducted initial questioning, the interview process began with a round of online interviews with a faculty search committee. Candidates were narrowed down to nine semifinalists, and then three finalists, who traveled to campus to meet with the faculty committee, a student search committee, parents and trustees. 

     Asst. Head of School, Head of Middle School and In-House Counsel Kristine Grant headed the faculty search committee. She said she knew Hoyle was the one for the job after seeing him interact with students.

     Senior Jimmy Schmidt was one of the students who met with Hoyle as a member of the student search committee. He said he walked away from the meeting hoping Hoyle would get the job.

     “He really stood out in a special way. He was very outgoing, very willing to form close relationships with the students and very enthusiastic about making sure that teachers had the resources they need,” Schmidt said.

     Hoyle emphasized a desire to get to know the Upper School students.

     “He talked to us in a way where he treated us as equals and not as if we were below him because we were students,” sophomore Sonny Dua, also a member of the student search committee, said.

     To get to know Upper School students, Hoyle plans to frequently stop by different classes, as well as attend events at Shorecrest like sports games and performances. 

     “I think it’s really important to see them and really know them outside of the school day,” he said. “It gives you a great opportunity to see them doing things that they’re passionate about.”

     Hoyle’s collaborative leadership style reflects his theatrical past, where he had to work with many people to create one performance.

     “Taking that kind of approach to school leadership has been really impactful with my departments and my teams when we’re all working together,” Hoyle said. “Instead of just leading from the top down, it can be something where you’re supporting everyone around you.”

    Outside of relationship-building, Upper School Spanish Teacher, 9th Grade Dean and fellow faculty search committee member Al Irwin sees Hoyle’s background in the arts as a model for leadership.

     “His ability to harness the energy and contributions of all of the people working with him to produce [a play or musical], that is highly respectable … he’s bringing the very box of tools into this role that we need to take Shorecrest to the next level,” Irwin said. 

     Outside of his career, Hoyle spends time doing carpentry, improv and playing video games. He also enjoys the beach, something that factored into wanting to move to St. Pete.

   “My whole family is really excited,” Hoyle said. “It’s a fantastic city and a great place to be, and we’re looking forward to the move.”