Dean of Students

The Office of the Dean of Students is included in the Student Services component of The Bolles School. The staff consists of a dean of students and two assistant deans.

The primary responsibilities of the Dean’s Office include monitoring attendance, enforcing student regulations and guidelines, and administering disciplinary action when appropriate. The focus of the Dean’s Office is to help promote a positive atmosphere on campus while dealing with each student in a fair and consistent manner. The Dean’s Office stresses the importance of developing a responsible and caring community by emphasizing the following principles reflected in the School’s Values Statement:

  • To respect the property and opinions of others
  • To take responsibility for our actions
  • To strive to work hard in our quest for physical and mental excellence
  • To be concerned for the good of others, especially those less fortunate than ourselves
  • To take pride in our community and consider civic responsibility a virtue.

The office of the Dean of Students for the Upper School is located in Ulmer Hall on the San Jose Campus. Parents or students interested in contacting the Dean’s Office can do so between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. by calling (904) 256-5040. (Any calls made before 8 a.m. will be answered by voice mail.) In addition, questions related to the Dean’s Office may be directed to John Newman , dean of students for the San Jose Campus Upper School, or Tom Collins, dean of students for the Bartram Campus Middle School.

Mr. Newman is a Bolles graduate of the class of 1986 and has been employed by Bolles since 1993. In addition to being the dean of students, he is an assistant varsity coach for the Bulldog football team and head coach of the junior varsity baseball team. Mr. Newman attended Vanderbilt University on an athletic scholarship and graduated cum laude in 1990 with a B.S. in Human and Organizational Development. He earned his M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University in 1991 while working as a graduate assistant coach for the Commodores.

Mr. Newman and his wife Kathy (Bolles ‘86) have three children: Taylor, Shaye, and Bryce.

E-mail Mr. Newman.

Mrs. Gamble came to Bolles in 1994 and brings a wealth of experience to the Dean’s Office. After graduating high school in Indiana, she attended Catonsville Community College in Baltimore, Maryland. She has been involved in education since 1985 and is an assistant dean for the Upper School.

Mrs. Gamble and her husband Grant have one son.

E-mail Mrs. Gamble.

Mrs. Cooper joined the Bolles School in 2003. Mrs. Cooper graduated from Gardner-Webb University in 2001, where she earned a Theater Arts Degree with a minor in Music: Vocal Performance. She is currently pursuing a degree in American Sign Language Interpretation, and hopes to be able to use her experiences to help bridge the gap between the deaf and hearing performing arts. Mrs. Cooper and her husband, Chad, have two dogs and a cat.

E-mail Mrs. Cooper.