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Meet Taylor Replane: Midland's Incoming Dean of Residential Life
Taylor shares about how his background and experience have prepared him to take on this exciting role
We are thrilled to announce that Taylor Replane will be joining us this summer as Midland’s new Dean of Residential Life. Taylor has been taking care of students for his whole career, as a wilderness field instructor, art educator, and school leader. We took some time to sit down with Taylor and learn more about how his experience and background will support the next phase of Midland’s residential life program.
Currently you’re working as Director of Enrollment Management at Friends School in Boulder. How do you think this background in enrollment and admissions will inform your shift to the Dean of Residential Life role?
Being involved in admissions has really helped me understand the interconnectedness of schools. I always enjoy connecting in a meaningful way with students and families, and I look forward to doing that at Midland from the dining hall to the farm. Both roles involve having a “finger on the pulse” of the school culture, and both take into account the complexities of independent schools.
And being a small school, we know that you’ll wear many hats, and we’re looking forward to this partnership between the Residential Life office and the Admissions office. In your cover letter, you talked about social emotional learning. Tell us a little bit more about your training and background with SEL.
I have trained in the Ways of Council, a transformative approach to listening and speaking based on the practices of The Ojai Foundation. This conversational framework is something that I have used to encourage collaboration. It focuses on removing barriers, such as social hierarchies, in order to promote equitable conversations and hear from everybody in the room. At one of my previous schools, Watershed, I trained the faculty and staff in this approach. I have had the opportunity to lead hundreds of councils for students and adults, in schools and in boardrooms.
That sounds like quite the tool to bring into a boarding school environment. Another facet of a Midland education is outdoor and nature-based learning. You spent the early days of your career as a field instructor. Tell us how those skills will be carried into this new experience.
When I was in the field, I would work with groups of students from all over the country. It was like a micro-boarding school environment, as students would come together and have 30 days to form a community through wilderness travel and outdoor skill building. During that time, they would go through all of Tuckman’s stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. This experience of working with teengagers to navigate the various degrees of belonging will help me support Midland students as they continually form and reform the school’s community and culture.
Additionally, I developed skills in wilderness travel, trip design, and logistics coordination that I’m sure will come in handy with Midland’s customized weeklong trips during MIDterm and Experiential Week.
Before moving into school leadership, you had a long career as an art educator. How do you feel your work as an artist and teacher has informed your approach to leadership?
I’ve always seen art as a vehicle. You can express yourself freely through art, and learning visually can make content and ideas more accessible. I lean on art for all sorts of things, such as designing community-building activities, deepening relationships, creating ice breakers, and building empathy. In order to be an empath, and to be able to put oneself in the shoes of others, you need to be able to pay attention to one another. Art allows us to focus on these details and to be vulnerable in ways we might not without an artistic outlet for expression.
During my decade as an art teacher, I almost never repeated the same project. The way the class schedule was built, it called for a very individualized approach to every student. I often had students from grades 6 to 12 within the same class, all working on different skills. I would lead with concepts and spend a lot of one-on-one time with each student. I saw my role as more of a “guide by the side” than a master, and my goal was to inspire them and serve as an activator. I take this approach in leadership as well, focusing on differentiating my approach and communication based on the needs of each student.
I love the reflection that being an art teacher has taught you how to be that “guide on the side” and to vary your approaches for maximum effectiveness. What else do you feel are strengths that you bring to the community?
My main strength is in relationships. I have often found myself in mentorship and advisor roles, and I truly enjoy coaching. It has been said that “you learn from those you love.” In my twenty-five years in education, I can’t think of anything more true. Whether those relationships are between classmates, students and teachers, teachers and parents, or colleagues – what you learn has immense power if you are learning with open-minded, compassionate human beings.
I have also done a lot of Tier 1 work, which in the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework includes interventions and strategies that can apply to everyone to promote an environment that supports student success, positive behaviors, and wellbeing. Yes, there is a need for personalization and differentiation when it comes to working with students, but often a small yet systemic change can improve outcomes for all without singling anyone out.
These experiences, paired with a reflective approach, I feel will guide me well as I enter my first year at the Dean of Residential Life.
Now I know you’ll be coming to Midland from Colorado with your family. What are you all looking forward to with the move?
I’ll be moving with my wife Sheri and our two young children, Mimi and William. Sheri actually visited the Midland campus before I did. She called me late one night, put the phone on speaker and said “Listen.” The silence and sounds of nature filled our conversation, and we both knew we wanted to call Midland home. I am grateful that I’ll be surrounded by inspiring educators, dedicated staff, and engaged students pursuing meaning and connection to guide their learning. I’m looking forward to this opportunity to live alongside students and faculty passionate about true experiential learning.
Taylor, thank you so much for taking the time to talk! Hannah Nelson, Head of School, wanted to pass on this message to you and the Midland community: “We are so excited to welcome Taylor and his family to the Midland community. His thoughtful, student-centered approach, combined with his deep experience in experiential learning and community building, aligns beautifully with Midland’s core values. We’re confident that Taylor will bring fresh energy and perspective to our residential life program, and we look forward to the ways he’ll help us continue to grow and strengthen our community.”
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