The legacy of peter clark

Peter Clark loved people, especially young people, and he loved helping them realize their potential, a potential they themselves were often not yet able to see.  In his nearly thirty years at the school, as a teacher, college counselor, and the long-time Director of Guidance and Testing—and as a mentor and friend—Peter provided the compassion, insight and knowledge that helped countless students achieve success at Breck and beyond. Peter loved learning.  He was a trusted counselor to students, parents, and faculty, not only because all of them knew he cared about them and truly had their best interests at heart, but also because he had a tremendous wealth of knowledge about learning, knowledge that he was able to recall instantaneously, knowledge that he was always adding to with his voracious interest in how students learn and in how teachers can best help them.

Peter was a leader. During his time at Breck, he initiated and led, for example, a major faculty initiative, School’s Attuned, which for its time was cutting edge research. School’s Attuned allied the school with research on learning being conducted at the University of North Carolina, and that helped to transform the teaching of a generation of teachers and thereby transformed the experience of many generations of students. Peter believed in self-knowledge and self-awareness.  He believed that students are best able to succeed when they know themselves as learners. As one former student remembers Peter telling him, “You work on your weaknesses and hone your many strengths.”

Peter was a humble man.  In the words of a former parent, Peter “was an All-Star without the All-Star’s need for others to know.”  He would certainly make a joking, self-deprecating remark if he were able to know that this wonderful new learning center at Breck has been named in his honor, but we’re confident he would also be deeply happy to know that the school is dedicating itself to continuing his legacy by helping as many students as possible fully achieve their potential as learners, and by helping faculty and parents support them in this pursuit.

-- Frank Eustis,
Breck English Teacher
Long-time friend of Peter Clark