In an email sent to Harker parents on Monday and students on Tuesday, Head of School Christopher Nikoloff announced his resignation, stating his assumption of the position of Headmaster at The American School in Collina d’Oro, Switzerland, on July 1, 2017.

Nikoloff has been at Harker for 17 years and has served as Head of School for the past 11 years, stepping into the position in 2005 succeeding previous Head of School Howard Nichols.

“I leave with a mixture of sadness, pride and great hope for Harker’s future,” he wrote in the email. “Since its founding in 1893, and through the stewardship and legacy of the Nichols family, Harker has been committed to bringing out the best in each child in all areas inside and outside the classroom.”

To extend on the optimism he expressed, Nikoloff made clear his faith in Harker delivering its mission to students going forward.

“With the extremely capable and caring leadership of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and staff, I am fully confident that Harker will continue to deliver the best to its wonderfully curious, kind and motivated students,” he continued.

The American School in Switzerland (TASIS) is an international, college preparatory day and boarding school that houses a diverse student body from around the globe. Founded in 1956 by Mary Crist Fleming, TASIS was the first American boarding school established in Europe.

In an interview, Nikoloff explained his motivations for accepting the job at TASIS and reflected on the goals that were accomplished during his tenure as Head of School.

“The opportunity to lead a school in an international setting is a pretty rare opportunity, and that’s for the professional level. On a personal level, the opportunity to raise my family in an international setting and in a very different environment was also a factor,” he said. “We have accomplished many of the goals, the science center, the aquatics center, Davis Field, acquiring a third campus, currently the gym and the theatre are under construction, lots of infrastructure goals were met, a strong admissions picture, students reaching their potential in many activities both inside and outside the classroom, alumni and students achieving great things both nationally and internationally, all these things are very satisfying.”

Diana Moss, a 21 year Harker Spanish teacher, described Nikoloff as a head of school.

“I think he was just a gracious, and thoughtful head of school who helped transition us from a small middle school to being one of the top college prep schools in the the country,” said Diana Moss. “I think [the opportunity] is fantastic. I did the same thing with my family, I spent a year with them in Chile, and for my children it was the best education imaginable. It makes a lot of sense for him to be in Europe close to his family; it is a natural next step from him.”

Accompanying the email, Harker Board of Trustees Chair Diana Nichols announced the hiring of a search team to find a new Head of School and shared news relating to two informational programs, the first that was held on Nov. 30 and the second that will be held on Dec. 6 at the Blackford campus for the Harker community to attend.

Nikoloff will continue to serve as Harker Head of School for the remainder of the 2016-2017 school year.